Strategizing for legitimacy in a marketplace : legitimacy claims of private tutoring center owners and perceptions of key stakeholders in Zhejiang province, China

Abstract

Abstract of thesis entitled Strategizing for Legitimacy in a Marketplace: Legitimacy Claims of Private Tutoring Center Owners and Perceptions of Key Stakeholders in Zhejiang Province, China Submitted by LI, Wenjian for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong May 2018

As in many parts of the world today, private academic tutoring has become pervasive in China. Although the private tutoring industry has become better understood through the efforts of diverse researchers, many aspects of this phenomenon remain unclear. This study examines the legitimacy claims of owners of small and medium-sized tutoring centers and the perceptions of their key stakeholders. This thesis draws on data collected via a case study conducted in four cities in Zhejiang province. Zhejiang, with a population of 55.9 million people, had a per capita disposable income of 38,529 RMB (US$5,595) in 2016, ranking third in the country. For this study, qualitative interview data were collected. The data collected through these interviews was then analyzed to determine the legitimacy claims made by tutoring center owners and the perceptions of key stakeholders. Thirdly, based on the above data, triangulations were made to explore different key stakeholders’ perceptions of the quality of tutoring services and the legitimacy strategies employed by tutoring center owners. The findings of this research allow this thesis to identify a set of substantive and symbolic legitimacy strategies employed by tutoring centers. The substantive strategies include role performance, which shows the conformity of tutoring centers to the expectations of members of society and the measures taken to alter socially institutionalized practices. The strategies also show the agency enjoyed by the owners of an organization during the process of its legitimation. The symbolic strategies include espousing socially acceptable goals and offering justifications designed to validate organizational practices. Some strategies employed by tutoring center owners fall between the substantive and symbolic ends of the spectrum; this demonstrates the space for educational entrepreneurship and creativity among tutoring center owners. This thesis contributes to research in a wider context by deepening the understanding of the agency enjoyed by organization owners and the understanding of private tutoring industry from the perspectives of tutoring center owners. Moreover, as a cross-domain study, by borrowing the legitimation framework from institutionalism to discuss the legitimacy strategies employed by tutoring center owners, the findings of the present research contribute theoretically to research on both institutionalism and private tutoring organizations. Last but not least, the findings regarding the perspectives of tutoring center owners, especially their views of the limitations within the mainstream system, and the strategies they employed to tackle these limitations, could be considered by policy makers while reforming the school system as well as regulating the “shadow system” of private tutoring centers.