A group of primary 4 students' perceptions of shadow education in their English language learning

Abstract

In Hong Kong, many students receive shadow education which supplements mainstream education. They employ English private tutoring because of different reasons. They also hold different views towards shadow education in English learning. However, there are few research studies related to Hong Kong primary students’ views about the impact of private tutoring on the specific English language subject. Therefore, this research intends to fill the research gap by investigating the views from students’ perspective. Questionnaire was used to investigate students’ general views on shadow education in their English learning. Two focus group interviews, which involved a group of students who have received English private tutoring and another group of students who have not received English private tuition, were also conducted. The data collected from the research provided information for discussion and some pedagogical implications or the English teachers in teaching the language to the ESL learners.