A Study of the Effects of Private Tutoring on Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement in Pakistan

Abstract

This research examines the impact of private tutoring on the academic performance of secondary school students in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in both public and private sectors. The study employed a multi-stage selection method and sampled 170 students using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. A pre-test and post-test design were used over a three-month period, allowing the researcher to evaluate changes in academic performance resulting from private tutoring. Differences across gender, school type, and socio-economic background were analyzed using quantitative methods such as t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and two-way ANOVA.

Results show a significant positive impact of private tutoring on students’ academic achievement (t = 2.01, p < 0.05). Gender analysis also demonstrated that girls gained more advantage when you used personal tutoring rather than boys with a high value of t = 2.53; p = 0.05. Likewise, the type of school also had its significance. The performance of students in the government schools was less than that of private schools as indicated by t = 2.09, p < 0.05. All this implies that nothing is as effective as a combination of better institutional resources and an enabled environment where tutoring is done privately. One-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences in academic performance across socio-economic backgrounds, challenging the assumption that socio-economic status alone determines academic outcomes. However, two-way ANOVA showed significant interaction effects for gender and school type (F = 6.01 and F = 5.32, p < 0.01). The highest-performing group was girls in private schools.

Private tutoring can be an effective academic support tool, particularly for girls and students in private schools. However, unequal access to quality tutoring may widen existing educational disparities, especially for low-income students and underfunded schools. Policymakers should consider systematized or subsidized tutoring programs in public schools, particularly for disadvantaged students. Public-private collaborations could increase affordable, high-quality, gender-sensitive tutoring services. Future research should explore long-term effects of private tutoring on academic performance, confidence, critical thinking, and subject-specific learning across Pakistan, as well as the quality of tutoring and the role of online platforms in promoting educational equity.