Private Tutoring Survey Conducted In UK Reveals Surprising Truth To Why Students Seek Academic Help

Online, April 15, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Fear of falling behind is the number one motivating factor among parents seeking private tuition for young children.

Furthermore, research conducted by First Tutors into why families seek help from private tutors has shown that many parents of primary aged children are concerned their child may fall behind in class and subsequently lose confidence.

The analysis of 450 randomly sampled requests for tuition conducted this month revealed that as a child moves through the education system, motivations (in the words of their parents) shift from wanting to keep up in class to focusing on passing exams.

Commonly, it is often thought that the key motivation for primary tuition usually relates directly to entrance exams, which this data disproves. Whilst families do seek tuition specifically for entrance exams, these requests make up a comparatively much smaller proportion of primary tuition requests.

Analysis of requests made to tutors for GCSE and A-Level Maths (the nation's most sought after subject for private tuition), shows that those seeking Maths tutors are very exam focused. Requests for tuition are often triggered by the need to resit a test, a disappointing mock grade or the crunch before an impending exam.

Numbers show that these students make up a smaller of requests compared to A-Level students seeking Primary Math Tutoring.

The survey further reveals that A-Level candidates, who have after all chosen to do more Maths, seek to understand their subject. Their Maths tuition requests suggest they want to reinforce their comprehension for the step up from GCSE to A-Level rather than simply wanting to get through the exam. That isn't to say that getting a good grade isn't a significant motivating factor, but few cite lack of confidence or motivation as an issue.

The full data is available on the First Tutors blog.

Private tutoring helps families to find local private tutors instantly by searching on our website, http://www.firsttutors.com/uk/. Families benefit from reading tens of thousands of reviews of tutors written by other families and can often find a tutor at a more affordable rate. First Tutors is an award-winning business, recognised for its excellence both in innovation and as a supplementary education provider.