The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has uncovered that over 50% of Leaving Certificate pupils, mostly from wealthier backgrounds, are now utilising additional tutoring to elevate their chances of entering university. Nevertheless, this appears to serve as a benefit only for students with lower academic attainment, offering limited advantage to their counterparts with moderate to high attainment levels.
The ESRI study contrasted the private education consumption rates in Ireland and Germany, revealing significantly higher engagement in Ireland (55%) compared to Germany, with only 16-20% of final-year students availing of this kind of assistance.
In Germany, these tutorials are strategically employed by lower-performing students who come from prosperous households. This approach is taken to prevent the necessity of repeating an academic year due to the mandatory progression requirements. However, in the context of Ireland where grade expectations for higher education admission are more stringent, private tutoring or ‘grinds’ are more popular among medium-achieving students seeking to heighten their chances of securing their desired university slot.
The research also found a higher propensity for female students over their male colleagues to participate in grinds across both countries. Furthermore, the societal participation is more selective in Ireland, where students with well-heeled parents or those in more prestigious roles are more inclined towards private tuition.
In terms of the academic outcomes, the study examined the disparity in Grade Point Average (GPA) between those who sought additional learning against those who didn’t, accounting for other performance impacting factors such as socio-economic background. In Germany, private tutorials appeared to benefit less advanced students by aiding them maintain necessary progressions grades. However, in Ireland, the benefits seemed to mostly favour the lower achievers, with marginal, if not zero, gain for those in middle to top academic performance tiers.
The findings mirror the take-up of private tutorials respective to each nation’s educational structure and motivations for various student classifications to bolster their scholastic performance.