Private tuition in the form of 'grinds' gives some positive benefits to lower-achieving students but little, if any, gain for those who are middle and higher achieving, a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found.
In a study looking at supplementary tuition in Ireland and in Germany researchers also conclude that the prevalence of grinds is likely to reinforce educational inequality and benefit the children of more advantaged families.
Participation in shadow education and academic performance in Ireland and Germany contrasts the take-up and outcomes of supplementary tuition taken outside school. It has found that participation is much higher here than in Germany, and also more socially selective.
In Germany, grinds are used to help lower-achieving students maintain the grades needed to progress, while in Ireland it is used by medium-achieving students in an effort to enhance their chances of doing well and securing a university place, the study found.
More than half (55%) of Irish students taking part in their final year of school take grinds, compared to between 16% to 20% in Germany. In both countries female students are more likely to take grinds compared to male.
In Ireland, students whose parents have higher-status jobs and higher income levels are more likely to take grinds, the study found.
The countries differ too in the prior achievement levels of those who access grinds. This reflects the nature of education systems in the two countries.
In Germany, students must reach a ‘sufficient’ grade each year to avoid having to repeat a year. As a result, lower-achieving students are more likely to take shadow education to avoid being kept back a year.
"In Ireland, grades matter for higher education entry, so shadow education is used, particularly among medium-achieving students, to enhance their chances of doing well and securing the university place they want", the study said.
The study findings suggest however that that some families may be wasting their money paying for grinds for their children.
Looking at differences in average grades between students taking grinds and those not, and taking account of other factors that might affect performance like social background, the ESRI study concluded that getting grinds "appears to pay off only for students with lower levels of achievement".
"In Ireland there are some positive benefits of shadow education to lower-achieving students, with little, if any, gain for their middle- and higher-achieving peers", it states.
"Taken together, the findings suggest that private tuition is frequently used to avoid educational failure for lower-achieving young people from more advantaged families (higher income in the case of Germany, and higher status and income in Ireland), thus reinforcing educational inequality", it found.
The research was conducted by Robin Benz, Merike Darmody, and Emer Smyth.
