The determinants of demand for private tutoring in South Korea

This study investigated the determinants of the demand for private tutoring (PT) in South Korea, especially focusing on the effectiveness of governmental regulations regarding the operating hours of cram schools in decreasing expenditure on PT. Survey data from 3,605 parents of 12th grade students were collected from 45 proportionally stratified high schools and analyzed using Tobit and censored least absolute deviation models. Results showed that among student and family background characteristics, students’ achievement level, household income, and parents’ educational level were positively associated with a higher consumption of PT. At the school level, students attending schools with higher student–teacher ratios were expected to spend more on PT. Urban schools under the high school equalization policy (HSEP) showed larger expenditure on PT than non-HSEP schools. Despite the public perception of the ineffectiveness of government policy on PT, this study finds that the local governmental regulation of PT positively contributes to decreasing the demand for PT.