Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The “magic” of tutorial centres in Hong Kong: An analysis of media marketing and pedagogy in a tutorial centre

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Review of Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Why do more than three-quarters of Hong Kong’s senior secondary students flock to tutorial centres like moths to light? What is the “magic” that is driving the popularity of the tutorial centre enterprise? Indeed, looking at the ongoing boom of tutorial centres in Hong Kong (there are almost 1,000 of them), it is difficult not to ask these questions. This paper examines the phenomenon of tutorial centres in Hong Kong and seeks to understand what draws students to these centres. Combining theories of marketing semiotics and emotion studies, the author investigates the pivotal role of media marketing in generating the “magic” of tutorial centres, whose advertising strategy includes, for example, a display of billboard posters featuring stylishly-dressed “celebrity teachers”. The author reviews some of the literature available on the subject of tutorial centres. In a case study approach, he then maps out the pedagogy he observed in an English tutorial class, seeking heuristic insights into the kind of teaching students in the study were looking for. He argues that part of the “magical” attraction of what are essentially “cram schools” is their formulaic pedagogy of teaching and reinforcing exam skills. Finally, the paper considers the social implications of the tutorial centre industry in terms of media marketing of education and unequal access to tutorial services.

Résumé

La « magie » des centres de soutien scolaire à Hong Kong : analyse du marketing médiatique et de la pédagogie – Pourquoi plus des trois quarts des lycéens de Hong Kong sont-ils attirés par les centres de soutien scolaire comme les papillons nocturnes par la lumière ? Quelle « magie » génère la popularité de ce modèle ? En observant la montée en flèche actuelle de ces centres à Hong Kong (au nombre de presque un millier), il est en effet inévitable de poser ces questions. L’auteur de cet article examine le phénomène des centres de soutien scolaire à Hong Kong et tente de cerner ce qui attire les élèves vers ces structures. Alliant les théories de la sémiotique du marketing et les études sur l’émotion, il explore le rôle central du marketing médiatique dans la « magie » de ces centres, dont la stratégie publicitaire inclut la conception d’affiches qui mettent en vedette des « célébrités enseignantes » élégamment vêtues. L’auteur recense une partie de la documentation disponible sur les centres de soutien scolaire. Dans le cadre d’une étude de cas, il trace les grandes lignes de la pédagogie qu’il a observée dans un cours d’anglais de soutien, scrutant des éléments heuristiques dans le type d’enseignement que les élèves recherchent. L’auteur avance que l’attrait « magique » de ces institutions essentiellement de bachotage réside en partie dans leur pédagogie stéréotypée pour l’enseignement et la consolidation des compétences nécessaires à la réussite d’un examen. Enfin, l’auteur évalue les implications sociales de l’industrie des centres de soutien scolaire sur le marketing médiatique dans le domaine éducatif et sur l’accès inégal aux prestations de soutien scolaire.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. An article published in The Japan Times in December 2013 says there are “nearly 1,000 tutorial centres” in Hong Kong (Japan Times 2013).

  2. I would have liked to embed a few tutorial centre advertisement photos which I took as part of my fieldwork in this paper, but because of ethical reasons I have decided against it. Images of typical advertisements are, however, easily accessible on the Internet, e.g. on a Wikipedia website about cram schooling in Hong Kong; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cram_schools_in_Hong_Kong [accessed 20 June 2013] or in the Japan Times article (2013).

  3. Near the end of his writing career, French philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650) discussed the nature of happiness, passions and ethics in an exchange of letters with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia (1618–1680). This correspondence formed the basis of his last published book, Passions of the Soul.

  4. The HKDSE examines four core subjects – English, Mathematics, Chinese and Liberal Studies – plus two or three elective subjects from a choice of twenty. Based on the results of the HKDSE, students gain entry to a range of post-secondary, vocational and tertiary courses offered by a variety of institutions. In particular, this high-stakes public exam determines success in university placement and choice of study subject.

  5. This is a pseudonym, as research ethics do not permit naming the school involved; the names of the two interviewees are also pseudonyms.

  6. These interviews were carried out in the context of a separate international collaboration project on Elite Schools I was involved in. My research into tutorial centres is a spin-off from the Elite Schools project, because I was intrigued by students from Cathedral College talking about their attendance of after-school tutorial centres.

  7. This is an existing tutorial centre in Hong Kong, but a pseudonym is used.

  8. One or more “push” factors lead to dissatisfaction with an existing situation and a desire to actively leave that situation/initiate change. A “pull” factor is an element of attraction which draws a person to a new situation or place.

  9. This is a pseudonym to protect the identity of the “star tutor”.

  10. The name of this tutorial centre is fictitious. If one does exist with this name, this is purely coincidental.

  11. After attending kindergarten for three years (K1–K3), children in Hong Kong enter primary school (Primary 1–6) aged 6, sitting exams in Primary 5 and Primary 6 to determine the kind of secondary school they can attend. There are three “bands” (in terms of achievement levels) of secondary schools, all of which are divided into junior secondary (Forms 1–3) and senior secondary (Forms 4–6). Though they do not sit the HKDSE until the end of Form 6, students start preparing for this exam in Form 4. While the medium of instruction (MOI) is predominantly Chinese in primary schools, some secondary schools which had introduced Chinese as MOI after Handover (the end of British rule) in 1997 have since reverted back to English as MOI.

  12. A visualiser, also sometimes called a visual presenter or document camera, is an electronic visual aid which no longer requires transparencies like its technological ancestor, the overhead projector. A visualiser comprises a video camera mounted above a work surface with zoom and focus. Thus a digital image of anything placed on the work surface can be displayed via a monitor screen or a projector. The zoom function makes it possible to display tiny details from maps, documents, microchips, etc. in giant close-ups on screen.

  13. The Mooncake Festival (mid-autumn) is the second most important Chinese holiday after the Spring Festival. Extended families meet to have mooncakes together and light lanterns.

Primary Sources

  • Koh, A. (2012a). Fieldnotes, field work, Cathedral College, Hong Kong. 27 September 2012 and 4 October 2012.

  • Koh, A. (2012b). Fieldnotes, field work, Cambridge Tutorial Centre, Hong Kong, 4 Oct 2012 and 14 December 2012.

References

  • Ahmed, S. (2004). The cultural politics of emotion. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aurini, J., Davies, S., & Dierkes, J. (Eds.). (2013). Out of shadows: The global intensification of supplementary education. Emerald: Bingley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bray, M. (1999). The shadow education system: Private tutoring and its implications for planners. Fundamentals of Educational Planning 61. Paris: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).

  • Bray, M. (2009). Confronting the shadow education system: What government policies for what private tutoring? Paris: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bray, M. (2010). Researching shadow education: Methodological challenges and directions. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11(1), 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bray, M. (2013). Benefits and tensions of shadow education: Comparative perspectives on the roles and impact of private supplementary tutoring in the lives of Hong Kong students. Journal of International and Comparative Education, 2(1), 18–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bray, M., & Kwok, P. (2003). Demand for private supplementary tutoring: Conceptual considerations and socio-economic patterns in Hong Kong. Economics of Education Review, 22, 611–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bray, M., & Kwo, O. (2014). Regulating private tutoring for public good: Policy options for supplementary education in asia. CERC monograph series in comparative and international education and development no. 10. Hong Kong: Comparative International Research Center, University of Hong Kong.

  • Bray, M., & Lykins, C. (2012). Shadow education: Private supplementary tutoring and its implications for policy makers in Asia. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bray, M., Zhan, S., Lykins, C., Wang, D., & Kwo, O. (2014). Differentiated demand for private supplementary tutoring: Patterns and implications in Hong Kong secondary education. Economics of Education Review, 38(C), 24–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, C., & Bray, M. (2014). Marketized private tutoring as a supplement to regular schooling: Liberal studies and the shadow sector in Hong Kong secondary education. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 46(3), 361–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danesi, M. (2013). Semiotizing a product into a brand. Social Semiotics, 23(4), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dang, H.-A. (2007). The determinants and impact of private tutoring classes in Vietnam. Economics of Education Review, 26(6), 648–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dierkes, J. (2010). Teaching in the shadow: Operators of small shadow education institutions in Japan. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11(1), 25–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J. (2013). Educational legitimation and parental aspiration: Private tutoring in Perth, Western Australia. Unpublished PhD dissertation. Perth: University of Western Australia.

  • Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (2011). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes (2nd ed.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Halliday, M. (1994). An introduction to functional grammar (2nd ed.). London: Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamid, M. O., Sussex, R., & Khan, A. (2009). Private tutoring in English secondary school students in Bangladesh. TESOL Quarterly, 43(2), 281–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Japan Times (2013). Celebrity tutor “kings” thrive in Hong Kong. Japan Times, 13 December. Accessed 27 October 2014 from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/13/asia-pacific/celebrity-tutor-kings-thrive-in-hong-kong/#.VEplVk102Uk.

  • Jelani, J., & Tan, A. K. G. (2012). Determinants of participants and expenditure patterns of private tuition received by primary school students in Penang, Malaysia: An exploratory study. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 32(1), 35–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kenway, J., & Fahey, J. (2011). Public pedagogies and global emoscapes. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 6(2), 167–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kenway, J., Fahey, J., & Koh, A. (2013). The libidinal economy of the globalizing elite school market. In C. Maxwell & P. Aggleton (Eds.), Privilege, agency and affect: Understanding the production and effects of action (pp. 15–31). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J.-H., & Park, D. (2010). The determinants of demand for private tutoring in South Korea. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11(3), 411–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuan, P.-Y. (2011). Effects of cram schooling on mathematics performance: Evidence from junior high students in Taiwan. Comparative Education Review, 55(3), 343–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C.-J., Park, H.-J., & Lee, H. (2009). Shadow education systems. In G. Sykes, B. Schneider, D. N. Plank, & T. G. Ford (Eds.), Handbook of education policy research (pp. 901–919). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. K. (2014). Local perspectives of Korean shadow education. Reconsidering Development, 2(1), 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, A. (1999). Doing-English-lessons in the reproduction or transformation of social worlds? TESOL Quarterly, 33(3), 393–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J. (2012). Does cram schooling matter? Who goes to cram schools? Evidence from Taiwan. International Journal of Educational Development, 32, 46–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luke, A. (2004). Teaching after the market: From commodity to cosmopolitan. Teachers College Record, 106(7), 1422–1443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mori, I., & Baker, D. (2010). The origin of universal shadow education: What the supplemental education phenomenon tells us about the postmodern institution of education. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11(1), 36–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oswald, L. R. (2012). Marketing semiotics: Signs strategies, and brand value. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, D. L., & Baker, D. P. (1992). Shadow education and allocation in formal schooling: Transition to university in Japan. American Journal of Sociology, 97(6), 1639–1657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svašek, M. & Skrbiš, Z. (eds) (2007). Emotions and globalization [Special issue]. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 14(4), 397–544.

  • Tansel, A., & Bircan, F. (2006). Demand for education in Turkey: A tobit analysis of private tutoring expenditures. Economics of Education Review, 25(3), 303–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yates, L. (2003). Interpretative claims and methodological warrant in small-number qualitative longitudinal research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 6(3), 223–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhan, S., Bray, M., Wang, D., Lykins, C., & Kwo, O. (2013). The effectiveness of private tutoring: Students’ perceptions in comparison with mainstream schooling in Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Education Review, 14(4), 495–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I thank the Office of Educational Research (OER), NIE for a start-up grant (SUG 23/12 AK) which enabled me to conduct this research project. Jeffrey Lau offered generous information about the tutorial centre industry in Hong Kong, but the inaccuracies of analysis, if there are any, are inevitably mine. My thanks are also due to Victoria Carrington and Anneliese Kramer-Dahl, who read an early draft of this paper. I also appreciate the astute feedback given by the two anonymous reviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of English Language & Literature, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1, Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Singapore

    Aaron Koh

Authors
  1. Aaron Koh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aaron Koh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Koh, A. The “magic” of tutorial centres in Hong Kong: An analysis of media marketing and pedagogy in a tutorial centre. Int Rev Educ 60, 803–819 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-014-9460-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-014-9460-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation