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Publicly-funded private supplementary tutoring : a multiple-case

study of Hong Kong's after-school learning support partnership
pilot scheme
Ngan, Kin-lun;
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2015
http://hdl.handle.net/10722/223652
Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License
Publicly-funded Private Supplementary Tutoring: A Multiple-case Study of

Hong Kongs After-school Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme
Ngan Kin Lun
Student Number: 2013880887
Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of

Master of Education, the University of Hong Kong
August 2015
Declaration
I hereby declare that this dissertation represents my own work and that it has
not been previously submitted to this University or any other institutions in
application for admission to a degree, diploma or other qualifications.
Signature: __________________
(Ngan Kin Lun)
Date:__________________
Abstract
Private tutoring for primary and secondary students has always operated in a fee-charging
mode. In order to allow students from low-income families to enjoy the potential benefit of
private tutoring, the Hong Kong SAR government launched the After School Learning
Support Partnership Pilot Scheme in 2011. The nature of tutoring is always dependent on
the context. The Pilot Scheme created a new context for tutoring activity in Hong Kong. The
government funded local primary schools to employ pre-service teachers as tutors. The
tutors were employed to work under the authority of the schools, who held control over
curriculum design and the administration of tutorial classes.
This study compares the experience of eight tutors through the use of a questionnaire and
interview. It was found that there were two major types of after-school classes in the Pilot
Scheme focused on either subject teaching or homework guidance. A tutor may had
different roles in different classes, and these were mainly shaped by schools arrangements
and student factors. This study examines that the power relations among schools and tutors
were not simply a matter of oppressor and oppressed. The relationship of power involved a
series of strategies and factors. Overall, this study provided insight on the operation of this
publicly-funded after-school program.
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Mark Bray, for his
guidance, patience and encouragement in the past two years. His comments and
suggestions have always inspired me to gain new insights into this research.
I am grateful for the help of all the tutors who have participated in this research. Their
support and participation have provided valuable information. In particular, I would like to
thank my friends in HKIEd debating team for inviting their schoolmates to participate in this
research.
Table of content
Chapter 1. Introduction....1
1.1 Shadow education in Hong Kong...1
1.2 Implication of private supplementary tutoring.4
1.3 Background of the After-school Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme ..6
1.4 Rationale for the research.....7
1.5 Research questions.....9
Chapter 2. Conceptual Framework.......11
2.1 Types of tutoring and different roles of tutor.......11
2.2 The concept of power relation .......18
Chapter 3. Methodology......24
3.1 Multiple-case study......24
3.2 Analytical framework......26
3.3 Research design......30
3.3 Limitations......36
Chapter 4. Findings....39
4.1 Background of tutors......39
4.2 Reasons for becoming tutors..41
4.3 Types of tutoring and roles of tutors.42
4.4 Case study.45
4.4.1 Case 1: Chun.46
4.4.2 Case 2: Carrie..48
4.4.3 Case 3: Antonia..52
4.4.4 Case 4: Chris.55
4.4.5 Case 5: Tweety..57
4.4.6 Case 6: Wing.61
4.4.7 Case 7: Race.64
4.4.8 Case 8: Jenny..67
Chapter 5. Comparison and Discussion...71
5.1 Case comparison.....71
5.2 Factors of tutors role...76
5.3 Power relation analysis......84
Chapter 6. Conclusion........91
References......96
Appendices........102
List of Tables
Table 3.1 List of categories of interviewees
Table 4.1 Questionnaire Respondents by Year of Study
Table 4.2 Questionnaire Respondents by Major of Study
List of Diagrams
Diagram 3.1 Diagrammatic Representation of a multiple-case comparative study model
Diagram 3.2 Fgerlind & Saha dialectical framework
Diagram 3.3 Dialectical framework of presenting the relationship of tutors role and different forces
Diagram 3.4 Diagrammatic representation of schools' arrangements as the major force of shaping a
tutor's role
Diagram 3.5 Diagrammatic representation of student factors as the major force of shaping a tutor's
role
Diagram 5.1 Diagrammatic representation of case 1
Diagram 5.3 Diagrammatic representation of cases 3, 4 and 5
Diagram 5.7 Diagrammatic Representation of different roles of tutor and the influencing factors
List of Appendices
A A sample of consent form and information sheet for questionnaire participants (English version)
B A simple questionnaire (English version)
C A sample of consent form and information sheet for questionnaire participants (Chinese version)
D A simple questionnaire (Chinese version)
E A sample of consent form and information sheet for interview participants (English version)
F Interview questions (English version)
G A sample of consent form and information sheet for interview participants (Chinese version)
H Interview questions (Chinese version)
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1 Shadow Education in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, like many other highly competitive societies in which academic
performance and examination results are considered important, has a very obvious
shadow education system. This system has become a significant industry in Hong
Kong (Kwo & Bray, 2011).
Data conducted by the Statistics Department of Hong Kong show that 36 percent of
primary students, 28 percent of junior secondary students and 33.6 percent of senior
secondary students had accessed a tutorial service in 2004/05 (Census and Statistics
Department, 2009). Moreover, a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of
Youth Groups (HKFYG) revealed that the proportion of students taking private
tutoring services has risen over the past decade, with 34.1 percent of students in
1996, 56.7 percent in 2009 and 63.3 percent in 2012. This survey also reveals that
72.2 percent of primary students and 61.2 percent of secondary students were using
private tuition at that time (HKFYG, 2012).
A study conducted by Bray & Kwok (2003) showed that 48.8 percent of secondary
students were receiving private tutoring. In lower sampled secondary, 35.1% of
students said that they were receiving tutoring. In Secondary 45, the proportion
was 46.6%, and in Secondary 67 it was 70.3%. Another study published in 2013
showed that 53.8% of sampled Secondary 3 students and 71.8 % of Secondary 6
students said that they had received private supplementary tutoring during the
previous 12 months (Bray, 2013). This data shows that more and more Hong Kong
students have participated in the shadow education system over the past few years,
regardless of which grade or form they were in.
The Hong Kong government does not play an active role in regulating the operation
of tutorial services. For a long time, the education policies in Hong Kong have
focused on basic education or early childhood education, but even early childhood
education has not been regarded as part of compulsory education. Private
supplementary tutoring was regarded to be outside of the Education Departments

remit (Bray, 2003, p.44).
In the late 1990s, the situation was slightly different. Due to some scandals around
the operation of tutorial centers, the Hong Kong government had to pay more
attention to this sector. For example, a tutorial school claimed to have inside
knowledge of the questions on the university entrance exam, but their students
received very low marks in the exam after they copied the same model essay
provided by the tutorial school (Tseng, 1998, p.56). The public were also concerned
about safety issues. Many tutorial schools were unregistered at that time, and an
official investigation revealed more than half of the suspected tutorial schools 408
in total, to be without registration in 1997/98 (Hong Kong Office of the Ombudsman,
1999).
The Education Department was under pressure to play a more active role in
regulating tutorial schools. In response to public pressure, they reaffirmed that their
priority was on the improvement of quality education in kindergartens as well as
primary and secondary schools. However, they insisted that tutorial schools register
and comply with the requirements contained in the Education Ordinance, which
included four areas of compliance (Legislative Council, 2001):
a) Safety: e.g. building and fire safety provisions, number of students in a

classroom;
b) Teachers qualifications: i.e. teachers have to meet prescribed qualifications

and register with ED;
c) Sanitation: e.g. ventilation and meal provisions; and

d) Charging of fees: i.e. school fees have to be approved by Education
Department.
However, the regulations above were only applicable to tutorial schools, leaving
many tutorial activities that were not associated with a tutorial school, unregulated.
A typical example of this could be seen in individual tutors who taught either in
pupils homes or their own homes (Bray, 2003, p.48). The reason for this discrepancy
was because governments typically consider this kind of tutoring activity too difficult
to regulate; the costs of trying to regulate individual tutors exceed the benefits of
doing so (Bray & Kwo, 2014, p.49).
It is clear that regulations on shadow education are not strict in Hong Kong.
Companies providing tutoring services should have to follow some regulations.
However, regulations regarding tutor qualifications only consist of very basic
requirements for a person to work as a permitted teacher, which dont require
tutors to hold any educational qualification, and tutorial centers generally do not
provide any training for tutors. Moreover, individual tutors are regulated even less
than this. Many self-employed tutors in Hong Kong are university students,
unemployed teachers, retired teachers or other persons seeking such work.
However, their qualifications are not guaranteed, and no professional organization
provides formal training to improve the quality of tutors in the market.
1.2 Implications of Private Supplementary Tutoring

Many research studies reveal the implications of private supplementary tutoring.
The implications of this style of tutoring can be reflected to three different levels: to
the student level, to the mainstream education system and to society. This section
focuses on the implications of private supplementary tutoring to students; it would
be helpful to understand the roles of private tutors during the tutorial.
Improving students academic achievement is one of the major goals of private

supplementary tutoring. It is always expected that private supplementary tutoring
can help lower achievers, or provide remedial teaching according to individual needs.
Tuition classes that can keep a low student-tutor ratio allow tutors to pay attention
to the individual needs of lower achievers, and monitor their performance step by
step (Foondun, 2002). This does not mean that high achievers do not participate in
private tutoring. In fact, research in Hong Kong shows that students in higher-band
schools are more likely to receive tutoring than students in lower-band schools, and
most students either agree or strongly agree that their academic performance has
improved after receiving tutoring (Bray, 2013). In South Korea, private tutoring is
regarded as a tool to improve students academic achievement, which can
eventually allow them access to high-rank universities and prestigious jobs (Lee, Lee
& Jang, 2010).
Even though research evidence reaches a different conclusion regarding the impact
of private tutoring on academic achievement, most students and families believe
that private tutoring can improve students academic achievement (Bray & Lykins,
2012, p.36). In other words, they can see that the role of some tutors may be
regarded as knowledge disseminators or learning facilitators, to provide knowledge,
examination skills or motivation.
Private tutoring can also help students to develop their values and personalities.
Effective private tutoring may help low-achievers to keep up their learning progress,
and in doing so, help students develop self-esteem and a sense of achievement (Bray
& Lykins, 2012, pp.38). Also, in some education systems, low-achievers may be
neglected and labeled as failures in a mainstream setting. Private tutoring may help
these students to avoid separation on the basis of their academic achievement
(Foondun, 2002). These learning experiences may have a positive effect on the
development of personality. In some cases, private tutors even perform as a role
model, presenting good behavior, politeness and a positive learning attitude (Ho,
2010). Students who come from troubled families may lack a proper model to follow,
and private tutors may take the place of their parents in terms of acting as a role
model.
Moreover, the dual-career family is a very common phenomenon in some developed

regions. In this case, a private tutor may serve as a babysitter of primary students
until their parents return home (Foondun, 2002). Some parents in Brazil send their
children to after-school tutoring because they want their children to avoid
potentially dangerous streets (Bray, 1999, p.61). In Hong Kong, some private tutors
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become baby-sitters without intending to be (Ho, 2010). They may have to know
how to maintain a healthy body as an example to their students. Some may have to
play with students in their free time.
1.3 Background of the After-School Learning Support Partnership

Scheme
The idea of the After-school Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme (the Pilot
Scheme) was first introduced officially in HKSAR Budget 2011. The Hong Kong
Government stated that it was aware of the needs of children coming from
low-income families to receive homework guidance after school (HKSAR, 2011). The
scheme aimed to enhance after-school learning support for primary school students
from low-income families with academic needs, to help them establish a sound
foundation at an early stage (Legislative Council, 2011). The 3-year pilot scheme,
which ran from academic year 2011-2014, was allocated HK$110 million.
To identify primary schools with a higher concentration of economically

disadvantaged students, the Education Bureau (EDB) used the percentage and
number of students receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) or
accessing the Student Financial Assistance Scheme (SFAS) full grant as the criterion
in identifying eligible schools (Legislative Council, 2011). Eligible schools were invited
to join this scheme, and to identify target student beneficiaries who were both
economically disadvantaged and academically needy, using a school-based approach.
Thirty percent of places could be offered to students who were economically
disadvantaged but not receiving the CSSA or SFAS full grant. In 2011, the EDB invited
50 local primary schools to join the scheme, and expanded to 111 schools in the
academic year 2014-15 (HKIEd, 2014).
1.4 Rationale for the Research

The concept of "tutoring" has a diverse range of meanings in different contexts, but
making a general definition is still possible. There are three major elements of private
supplementary tutoring according to Bray (2003, p.19):
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1. Academic subjects:
The study of private supplementary tutoring which is focused on academic subjects
covered by mainstream schooling. For example, language subjects fall into this
category. In this sense, extra-curricular activities, such as playing sports and learning
musical instruments, are not included.
2. Financial gain:
Tutoring activities are provided by tutors or tutorial centers for financial gain. This is
to exclude those extra classes given without charge by mainstream school teachers
for needy students or as voluntary assistance for friends and family members.
3. Addition to mainstream schooling:

To separate itself from mainstream schooling, private tutoring is defined as an
addition to the provision of mainstream schooling. In this sense, tutoring activities
should be provided outside of school hours, or even outside the school campus.
Tutoring activities under the Pilot Scheme match the definition above.
According to the original design, one of the purposes of the scheme was to enhance
their learning effectiveness and help them establish a sound foundation at an early
stage (Legislative Council, 2011). It is quite clear that the content of after-school
classes under this scheme was covered by mainstream schooling and improved
student performance in schools. Also, even though tutors tend to be students in TEIs,
an allowance is still provided, which is set at the range of HK$130 to HK$170,
depending on their year of study. Thirdly, the official name given, After-school
Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme clearly shows that the classes under this
scheme are intentionally provided outside of school hours.
The Pilot Scheme is a publicly-funded shadow education program. The idea of a

publicly-funded shadow education program is not a new concept. For example, No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) is an education policy in the United States which subsidies
private agencies (for-profit or not-for-profit) to provide tutoring services to eligible
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students (Bray, 2009, p.40). In the 1980s, the Singaporean Government funded the
Council on Education to provide tutoring for Malay/Muslim Children. This program
gained permission from the government for use in public schools for after-school
tutoring, and trained tutors who worked voluntarily or for low fees (Tan, 2009, p.97).
In some cases, public schools may invite private companies into their campus,
remunerating the enterprises with public funds,and these companies may be
for-profit bodies ornon-profit organizations (Bray & Kwo, 2015, pp.265).
However, the Hong Kong Pilot Scheme had some differences to the programs
mentioned above, in that it excluded private institutions. Tutors were not salaried by
students, parents or tutorial centers, but by the government. TEIs, which are also
public institutions, provided training courses for tutors and were given funding to do
so. Last but not least, the content of after-school classes is decided by schools - not
by parents or the private market. It is worth studying how this model operates in
Hong Kong, which is a society that places a great demand on private tutoring
services.
1.5 Research Questions

This study intends to gain understanding of the operation of the "After-school
Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme from the tutors' perspectives. Tutors are
expected to be trained, find a job, teach and then complete a reflection on the
process. The research will focus on the roles of tutors in the classroom and the
forces that determine how these roles are carried out.
The following research questions will be investigated:
1. What is the background of the tutors?

2. Why do tutors join the Pilot Scheme?
3. What are the roles of tutors in the tutorial classrooms?
4. What forces determine their roles in the classroom?
5. What are the power relationships between schools and tutors?
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The first research question focuses on who the tutors are, and the second one is
aimed at understanding why the tutors join the Pilot Scheme. The third research
question attempts to discover the role of the tutor in the classroom, this would be
helpful in order to discover the reality of the scheme. The fourth question will spark
the investigation as to whether there are any factors affecting the role of the tutor.
Such factors may be different in different school contexts and with different tutors,
and show up the internal diversity rather than similarities in the scheme. The last
question intends to explore tutors' individual thoughts and experiences relating to
their role in the classroom. This would be helpful in gaining an understanding of the
reality from a different point of view. The last research question aims to explore the
power relations between schools and tutors, taking into account Michel Foucaults
concept on power relations.
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Chapter 2. Conceptual Framework

This chapter presents the conceptual framework for this study. This study aims to
understand the context of after-school classes and the role of the tutor, as well as
the power relations between schools and tutors. The first section of this chapter (2.1)
reviews literature from Hong Kong and overseas in order to explain and define
different types of after-school classes. The second domain refers to the power
relations between schools and tutors in the Pilot Scheme, and puts forward an
adaptation to Michel Foucault's understanding of power. Selected literature
depicting his stance on power relations and how to study power relations is
presented in the second section (2.2).
2.1 Types of Tutoring and Different Roles of Tutor

Research on the supply side of private supplementary tutoring is relatively rare, in
comparison to research focused on the demand side of private supplementary
tutoring. Moreover, discussion on the role of the tutor is even rarer. Private
supplementary tutoring may take many different forms. It can be one-to-one or
small-group tutoring, but it can also be offered in virtual space (Bray, Kwo & Joki,
2015, pp.5). As a result, tutors may perform a number of various roles, not solely
limited to improving academic achievement. The kinds of service private tutors
provide depends on the context. One of the factors influencing this is class size:
individualized tutoring in the homes of the pupils or the teachers is vastly different to
the star tutor teaching in mass lectures, and, of course, different again to
small-group tutoring (Bray, 2013). It is commonly perceived that individualized
tutoring in the homes of the pupils may serve as a babysitter.
Ho (2010) studied individualized tutoring in Hong Kong, and found that private
tutoring was both a way of reinforcing meritocracy and capitalism and a way out of
normative competitive education. For those tutoring activities that focused on
reinforcing meritocracy and capitalism, a strong relation to academic achievement
was identified. In this type of tutoring, tutors have been seen to perform as
knowledge disseminators, motivators and inspectors. The teaching content usually
15
relates to academic subjects, examination skills and learning attitudes. This form of
tutoring service can help students prepare for examinations, meet social
expectations and strive for improvement. In this sense, if tutoring was to be
commercialized, it would reinforce capitalism and meritocracy through the
privatization of education.
Moving to the after-school context, there is more and more interest in programs
designed for use after school in Hong Kong and elsewhere. According to Fashola
(2002, p.5), there are three main reasons why educators and policy-makers have
placed emphasis on after-school programs. Firstly, children need supervision during a
time in which many might be exposed to - and engage in, antisocial and destructive
behaviors. Secondly, after-school programs can enrich the life experiences of the
children participating, broadening their vision and improving their socialization.
Thirdly, after-school programs may improve the academic achievement of students
who are falling behind the expectations of regular school life.
The Republic of Korea (South Korea) launched the After School Program (ASP) in
2004. The Korean government launched the ASP in order to reduce private tutoring
expenses for parents and to reduce social inequalities in education (Bray & Lykins,
2012, p.56; Lee, 2011; Bae et al., 2009, Carr & Wang, 2015). The ASP was funded
mostly by the government, but charged a small tuition fee. The curricula in ASP were
determined by schools, and designed to fit the individual students needs and
interests (Bae et al., 2009). Schools could hire tutors either within or outside of the
school (Lee, 2011).
The classes in ASP were not only focused on academics, but they could also be
grouped into three main categories: childcare programs, enrichment programs and
academic programs (Bae et al., 2009). Childcare programs are usually for Grade 1 to 3
students who come from dual-income families. Enrichment programs offer arts
(including visual arts and music), sports and cultural classes to help students discover
their interests and develop their talents. Academic programs are provided to
16
strengthen students academic achievement and to help them prepare for university
admissions.
In a similar way, there are also different types of after-school programs offered to
students in the United States. Gayl (2004) argued that student participation in
after-school programs can lead to a range of positive outcomes, including the
development of social skills, decreased deviant behavior and better school attitudes,
i.e. these outcomes were not restricted to academic achievement. Fashola (2002, p.8)
pointed out that some after-school programs in the United States which are directly
linked to the events that take place during the school day, have main goals and foci
which are related to academic achievement. Teachers or tutors in this kind of
after-school program usually conduct small-group or tutorial classes, supervise
students homework and teach study skills.
Fashola (2002, p.65) also mentioned that some after-school programs not only
provide educational instruction, but they also to serve the community in the
afternoon. These programs have the responsibility to provide a well-functioning
haven for the children and families who are being served. In other words, tutors in
after-school programs may act as a babysitter in this sense as they take care of
children until their parents come home from work.
Due to the reasons above, the following types of after-school programs are currently
in existence:
Day care programs, which may not have an academic focus or goal, emphasize
recreational and cultural activities. The main goal of day care programs is to
provide a safe environment for students whose parents are working or otherwise
engaged. Although some day care programs may provide homework assistance,
day care programs may not be aligned with academic instruction in regular
schooling (Fashola, 2002, p.7).
Enrichment programs provide children with the opportunity to explore and

develop their skills and talents, to help them make creative use of their
after-school hours. Enrichment programs may offer a wide range of activities,
17
including arts, music, sports and cultural activities, which may not necessarily be
given emphasis in regular schooling.
Extended-day programs are offered outside of school hours and are directly
connected to regular schooling. This type of tutoring program always takes place
on the school campus, providing a mixture of academic, recreational and cultural
programs. Extended-day programs are academically focused. The curriculum,
expected outcomes and pedagogy are directly related to those of regular
schooling. In these programs, school teachers and paraprofessionals are usually
paid to 'teach' after school hours.
The curricula of day care programs have emerged from the principle of competitive
education. This type of after-school program can have a positive effect on students
that may be missed in regular schooling. Students may gain self-confidence,
self-awareness and a sense of security from their tutor. Sometimes, private tutors
may play the role of an elder brother or sister, friend or even babysitter. In this way,
private tutoring can act as another way of learning that meets individual needs
outside of the competitive mode of learning.
Some tutor roles, such as motivator and babysitter, may co-exist with each other, but
some, such as inspector and friend, may not. Moreover, the role of the tutor is the
result of the interaction between private tutors, students and parents, and the role
may be shifted or transformed under a different context. In the case of an
after-school learning support pilot scheme, the role of parents may be replaced by
school teachers and school administrators, who are responsible for the hiring of
tutors.
There have been a few research studies conducted on the Pilot Scheme. Sin (2013)
interviewed four tutors from the University of Hong Kong, who were part of the Pilot
Scheme. In these four cases, the focus of after-school classes was on English teaching
and preparation for examinations. Some schools provided worksheets and exercise
books as teaching materials for tutors. The teaching content was usually designed to
18
complement the school curriculum, while the tutors could design the teaching
materials to cater for the students needs. Most of the tutors said that homework
guidance was not the focus of their class, and would only be done when the classes
had extra time.
A survey conducted by the Society for Community Organization (2013) covered 82

tutors who participated in the Pilot Scheme. Most of these tutors came from the
HKIEd (79%). Gaining more teaching experience in order to improve the quality of
teaching was the most important reason why tutors joined the Pilot Scheme, and
attributed to 83% of respondents' answers, while 68% of the tutors came for the
attractive salary. Also, 68% joined the scheme because of the ideal of the Pilot
Scheme, which should be providing after-school educational support to children
from low socio-economic backgrounds. With this information, it is clear that the
salary is not the only purpose for most of the tutors, and they have the motivation to
achieve something more than money.
The survey from the Society for Community Organization (2013) found that the tutor
to student ratio varied from one school to another. The most frequently observed
number of students was 5 to 7 in one class, which accounted for38 of the tutors
(46%). 15 tutors (18%) had 8 to 10 students, and 19 tutors (23%) reported having
classes of 11 to 13 students. It cannot be ignored that 7 tutors (9%) had only 2 to 4
students in their classes. This data revealed that the context of after-school classes in
the Pilot Scheme is diverse, and has a strong dependence on the schools
arrangements and their overall context.
In terms of the major duty of tutors, 52 tutors (62%) answered that homework
guidance was their main duty, and 43 tutors (52%) said their main duty was teaching
a specific subject such a English, Chinese and Mathematics, and no one answered
other. Moreover, in another question, 50 tutors (61%) said they could help finish
students' homework, and 44 tutors (54%) said they help to improve students
academic result. However, in addition to academic achievement, 33 tutors (40%) said
19
their students have better learning motivation, and 8 tutors (9%) said they helped
students develop interpersonal skills.
These two studies showed that the content of after-school classes in the Pilot
Scheme covers a wide range of topic areas and activities. Some tutors have to teach
specific subjects, and their role is more likely to resemble a knowledge disseminator
or teacher. On the other hand, most tutors said their main duties were homework
guidance as well as teaching specific subjects. However, these results may have been
observed partly because the questionnaire only provides three choices to
interviewees, which are homework guidance, teaching specific subject or other. It
is possible to get a different answer if researchers were to provide more choices
within the survey or ask the tutors to explain more through some open-ended
questions.
To summarize, the nature of both private tutoring and the role of the tutor have
many facets, which cause them to cover a diverse range of needs. Much of their
operation depends on the context and the interaction among stakeholders. Private
tutors may not have performed as knowledge disseminators or examination skill
trainers. In many cases, the private tutor has to motivate, supervise and even take
care of students. The survey conducted by the Society for Community Organization
(2013) showed that there are different types of tutoring activities in the Pilot Scheme.
Improving students academic achievement should be the first and most important
concern of tutors, but some tutors focus on homework guidance whilst others focus
on teaching academic subjects. Moreover, some tutors believe they have helped
students develop motivation and attitude through this kind of after-school program.
2.2 The Concept of Power Relations

Traditionally, people see power as the capacity of an agent to impose someone's will
over the will of the powerless. Power is understood as possession. However, in the
view of Michel Foucault (1981, p.94), power is something that cannot be owned by
someone. It is not a commodity, a position, a prize or a plot (Dreyfus & Rabinow,
20
1983, p.184). Even in an extremely powerful state, the state cannot occupy the
whole field of actual power relations. Power exists in every relationship between
individuals, such as between principal and teachers, teachers and students, parents
and children. Rather, the possession of power is a strategy that acts and manifests
itself in a certain way, and is based on more than just possessions. In this sense,
power is a system and a network of relations encompassing the whole society, not
only a relation between the oppressed and the oppressor (Dillon, 2014). Also,
individuals are not the objects of power, they are simply the focus point of where the
power and the resistance to it are exerted (Sergiu, 2010).
Foucaults view of power was summarized in some important points, as follows

(Dreyfus & Rabinow, 1983, pp.184-186; Sergiu, 2010):
It influences actions;
It occurs in everyday life, at sites of all types and sizes;
There is a general matrix of power relations in a given society at a given time.
No one is outside this matrix, and no one is above the matrix;
Power relations are mobile, non-egalitarian and asymmetrical;
There may not be a stable logic in power or a possibility of balance of power;
It is multi-directional and operates from the top down and from the bottom
up;
It has a direct and creative role in social life;
It can be productive and positive when disciplinary technologies create a
permanent connection with a particular institutional framework;
Power relations can cover an extreme range, from individual human relationships to
family relationships, to pedagogical relationships, and to political life. For Foucault,
power relations are always mobile and reversible (Marshall, 2002). Because power
relations are mobile, reversible and asymmetrical, people should not expect to find a
stable logic in power, or a possibility of balance in power relations.
As power is not a thing or a subject, the research of power should not focus on
'power' itself; the question should not be, what is power?. To Foucault, power
21
designates the relationship between individuals rather than describe the relationship
between individuals. The research of power should not focus on a simple cause and
effect relationship (Dillon, 2014), but on how power operates in a component of
actions and interactions. Foucault is not denying there is domination in power
relations. For example, the guards in Mettray prison1 had undeniable advantages in
the arrangements. Foucault emphasizes that every individual or group was involved
in power relations, even it was an unequal and hierarchical relationship (Dreyfus &
Rabinow, 1983, p. 186).It is important to identify and analyze the network of
relations that create political technologies, and research the level of the
micro-practices. The question should be, how is power exercised in this
relationship?.
To study power and power relations, resistance is another key concept. Resistance to
power is part of the power relations; it is coextensive with power. As Foucault (1981,
p.95) says in his book, 'The History of Sexuality: "Where there is power, there is
resistance". Any resistance to existing power relations confirms this power network,
and reaffirms its boundaries. Power is the force that produces the resistance, and
even determines its place. Power administrates resistance. However, resistance to
power is not negative. In contrast, it is productive and it may have a positive effect. In
short, resistance to power draws its means of struggle from the existing form of
power. Power relations exist where actions are in response to other individuals or
institutions actions, and by necessity the other person has a field of responses
available to choose from (Dillon, 2014).
According to Foucault (1983, pp. 223-224), the analysis of power needs to establish a
certain number of points:
In the book Discipline and Punish, Foucault pointed out the opening of Mettray prison in 1840 in
France as the most significant change in the modern status of prisons. Mettray prison became the
focus for Foucault because of the various systems and expressions of power which it exhibited. The
Mettray prison became a perfect example for Foucault to expand his view of power and other
concepts.
22
1. The system of differentiations

Differentiations allow one to act upon the actions of others. The researcher must
examine distinctions made between different individuals or institutions, in terms of
economical differences, cultural differences and social status determined by law.
Every relationship of power puts into operation differentiations, which act as both
the conditions and results of this relationship.
2. The types of objectives

Power is purposeful; researchers should examine the objectives pursued by those
who act upon the actions of others.
3. The means of bringing power relations into being

This refers to how power is exercised in a relationship. Is the power exercised by
arms or economics pressures? Is any kind of supervision and control exercised? On
which laws or rules are these based? Are these laws or rules explicit or clear enough?
4. Forms of institutionalzation
For example, routinization is a common institutionalization process that serves the
expansion of power relations in schools. It makes certain acts more routine; more
automatic, and ensures the ease of supervision and surveillance over people (Sadan,
2004, p.65).
5. The degrees of rationalization

The exercise of power is always a complex, transformed and organized activity. The
bringing of power relations into play as actions in a field of possibilities may be more
or less elaborated in relation to the effectiveness of the tools available to power, the
appropriateness to the context and the achievement of the goals. It is also related to
the cost, which not only refers to the mean economic cost, but also to the resistance
to power.
These five points are considered as the main aspects of power relations study in this
research. In relation to these, there are some differentiations in the status between
23
schools and student-tutors based on rules and policies. Also, the objectives of being
a student-tutor in this after-school program can be considered to be a component of
the power relations encountered with schools or school administrators. The power
relations may also be seen through instrumental modes, such as how schools
monitor or assess student-tutors performance and evaluations. However, due to the
research focusing only on the perspectives of student-tutors, the forms of
institutionalzation and the degree of rationalization is more difficult to identify.
Seeing as these are highly related to school contexts, it is hard to understand these
through the eyes of student-tutors.
In summarizing this chapter, there are two major concepts adopted in this research.
The first part of this chapter reviews the literature about different types of
after-school classes and the roles of tutors. Tutors are not simply knowledge
disseminators or examination skill trainers, and tutors roles depend predominantly
on the context and the interactions between stakeholders. The second part of this
chapter reviewed the concept of power relations from Michel Foucaults work, which
emphasized the flexible operation of power in a relationship, instead of there being a
simple relationship between the oppressed and the oppressor. This concept of power
relation was adapted to explain the power relations between schools and tutors
during their participation in this Pilot Scheme.
24
Chapter 3. Methodology
In this chapter, the research method is presented. It includes the idea of
multiple-case study and how this dissertation adopts such an idea. The data
collection and analysis process is presented through the source of data, the criteria
of interviewees, and the strengths and limitations of the research design.
3.1 Multiple-case Study

This study adopts multiple-case study as its research method. The unit of comparison
for this research is individual, and the diagram below represents this comparative
study model (Bray, Adamson & Mason, 2007, p.367). It originally represented a
large-scale international survey, such as TIMSS2 and PISA3. However, the concept of
comparing multiple cases is adopted in this study.
Diagram 3.1 Diagrammatic Representation of a multiple-case comparative study

model
To understand a case study, the questions are always asked, "What is the case? What
is the unit of analysis?" According to Miles and Huberman (2014, p.28), a case is a
phenomenon of some sort occurring in a bounded context, and is also the unit of
analysis. The essence of a case study - the central tendency among all types of case
study, is that it tries to illuminate a decision or set of decisions: why they were taken,
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment of

the mathematics and science knowledge of students around the world. It measured trends in
mathematics and science achievement at the fourth (Primary 4) and eighth (Secondary 2) grades. It is
one of the studies established by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement (IEA), it has been conducted on a regular four-year cycle since1995. (TIMSS and PIRLS
International Study Center, 2015)
3
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment organized by

the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by testing the skills and
knowledge on mathematics, science, and reading of 15-year-old students. It was first performed in
2000 and then repeated every three years. In 2012, there were 65 economies (including non OECD
members) participated in the assessment. (OECD, 2015)
25
how they were implemented, and with what result (Schramm, 1971, cited in Yin,
2014, p.15). Case study research refers to a research method that would be helpful
to understand a real-life phenomenon in depth, but such understanding
encompasses important contextual conditions (Yin, 2014, p.16). Multiple case studies
have defined collective case study as a kind of case study research, but multiple
cases are described and compared in order to provide insight into the issue (Creswell,
2005, p.439). Case study as a research method is used to cover the contextual
conditions. As a result, the contextual conditions are highly pertinent to the
phenomenon of this study.
This qualitative case study is an approach to research that facilitates the exploration
of a phenomenon within its context, using a variety of data sources. Case study
ensures that the issue is not studied through one lens, but rather a variety of lenses
that allow the phenomenon to be revealed and understood in multiple facets (Baxter
& Jack, 2008). The case study inquiry relies on multiple sources of evidence (Yin,
2014, p.17).
In the multiple-case study, every case should serve a specific purpose within the
overall scope of inquiry. Multiple cases are not the multiple respondents in a survey.
The selected multiple cases in the research study have to follow a "replication" logic
(Yin, 2014, p.57). In this sense, each case either predicts similar results or predicts a
contrasting result but for predictable reasons.
Stake (2006, p. 23) proposed three main criteria for selecting cases:
Is the case relevant to the object, phenomenon or condition to be studied

(Quintain)?
Do the cases provide diversity across contexts?
Do the cases provide good opportunity to learn about complexity and

contexts?
Stake (2006) argued that each case in a multiple-case study should have its problems
or relationships. The purpose is in the collections of these cases or in the
26
phenomenon exhibited in those cases, to understand better how the whole thing
operates in the situation (p. vi).
3.2 Analytical Framework

The multiple-case study in this dissertation intends to compare individual
experiences and attitudes of tutors. The triangle diagram has been proposed, in
order to present the analysis results in a simple way. Fgerlind & Saha (1989, pp.227)
proposed a three-dimensional framework to explain the relationship between the
education system and national development. They argued that education and society
have a relationship of mutual influence, and that education is part of the dialectical
process of economics, social and politics. Hence, the framework proposed shows
how the three dimensions (economic, social and politics) influence each other, and at
the same time influence the development of the education system.
Social
Political
Education
System
Diagram 3.2
Fgerlind & Saha dialectical framework Economic
Diagram 3.3 shows a diagram inspired by Fgerlind & Saha. This study adapted the
Fgerlind & Saha dialectical framework in order to present the way in which the role
of tutors may be shaped by different forces. The research hypothesizes that the
27
school, the tutors personality and factors relating to students all influence the role
of tutors. It is argued that the school is one of the key factors shaping the role of
tutor in the Pilot Scheme. In fact, schools are responsible for the designing of the
content of after-school lessons and employing tutors. Thus, school background,
development goals, management style and other elements are presumed to have a
significant effect on the interactions with tutors. For example, some schools may
require tutors to teach English in after-school lessons because the school
administrator wants to improve the subject achievement. It is assumed that schools
with higher ambitions regarding the Pilot Scheme are likely to assign more
instructions and missions to tutors, and in this case school factors are expected to be
more influential than when the other two forces are neutral.
School Factors
The Role
of Tutor
Tutor Personalities
Student Factors
Diagram 3.3 Dialectical framework of presenting the relationship of tutors role and
different forces
Of course, tutor personalities and student are also the forces of shaping the role of
tutor. For example, tutor with less passion on teaching may play as a babysitter
rather than teacher or inspector. In this sense, their personalities will be the most
influential force shaping their role in the classroom. Last but not least, if the student
does not have the motivation to learn or finish their homework in after-school lesson,
28
tutor may be more likely to be an inspector or motivator. To summarize, this

proposed study hypothesizes the role of tutor in the pilot scheme is shaped by three
major forces, which are school, tutor personalities and student. The research is going
to understand how tutors view their role, and how these forces to shape their role.
As a result, the subject of social, economic and political are replaced schools, tutors
personality and students, and the triangle with dash lines in the middle represents
how much the forces shape or change the role of tutors from context to context and
from time to time. To present different cases with this diagram, the shape of the
triangle with dash lines may change. For example, the diagrams below show different
cases. The left one represents cases in which the role of the tutor is significantly
influenced by the school, and the right one represents cases where students are the
most influential force.
Example 1
Example 2
Diagram 3.4 Diagrammatic representation of schools' Diagram 3.5 Diagrammatic representation of student
arrangements as the major force of shaping a tutor's
factors as the major force of shaping a tutor's role
role
As mentioned earlier, the role of the tutor is largely dependent on the context. In
private tutoring, it is always the result of the interactions between different
stakeholders, such as tutorial centers, parents, tutors and students. Of course,
tutorial activity in the Pilot Scheme should follow a different pattern. The obvious
change should be that the interactions between tutorial centers and parents, in
which the tutorial centers represent employer force, will be replaced by schools.
29
To conclude, it is assumed that tutors' experiences and feelings on this scheme are
shaped by the school context, students' attitude and motivation and tutors'
personalities. This study is a multiple-case study on the 'after-school learning support
pilot scheme' from the tutors perspective. Also, to study their personal feelings on
the Pilot Scheme, this part may also help researchers to explore the different
operation models of after-schools classes, and how they influence the tutors
experience and attitudes.
3.3 Research Design

3.3.1 Document Analysis
The primary sources of this proposed study include the official policy documents
from the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong government, Legislative Council,
websites, newspaper articles, school notices issued by participant schools,
dissertations and academic journals on a related topic. It is expected that those
documents can provide a general picture of the Pilot Scheme.
School notices were collected from the internet. By searching in Google with
keywords "" (Chinese title of "after-school learning
support partnership pilot scheme") and "pdf". More than four hundred results were
discovered. Thirty-two school notices were collected. They show how schools
arrange the after-school lessons under the scheme.
3.3.2 Questionnaire
A questionnaire was used to collect data in this research. There was a total of 35
questionnaires collected from student tutors. An invitation letter was posted in the
HKIEd intranet, with the purpose of the study and the participant inclusion criteria.
However, snowball sampling was also adopted because there were not many
participants responding to the intranet invitation. Snowball sampling means each
research participant who is willing to be in this research study is asked to identify one
or more additional people who meet the criteria, who can participate in the study
30
(Johnson & Christensen, 2014, p. 265). Only nine individuals were identified at the
beginning of the data collection stage as being willing and able to fill in the
questionnaire, and they helped connect and invite other individuals to answer it.
The questionnaire was designed with both close-ended and open-ended questions
(See Appendix B). The advantages of this type of questioning is that researchers can
both obtain useful information to support theories and concepts in the literature
from the close-ended questions, and explore reasons for the close-ended responses
through the use of the open-ended questions (Creswell, 2005, p.217).
The data collected included the backgrounds of student tutors, their reasons for
becoming student tutors of this scheme and some general information about the
teaching context of the after-school classes. Also, collected data was helpful to
identify the role of tutors in each case. Tutors were divided into several categories
based on their answers in the questionnaires:
Category A: those who see themselves as being more than a homework

counselor. Like a teacher, those in this category disseminate academic
knowledge to students in order to improve academic achievement.
Category B: those who see themselves as a homework counselor. Their

main duty in after-school classes is to facilitate students finishing their
homework and check with them. Sometimes they may be frustrated by
students behavior problems.
Category C: those who understand they have to teach or guide students

homework, but are always frustrated by students behavior problem.
3.3.3 Interview
The purpose of the interview is to collect the information from each case, in order to
understand their teaching context, roles and power relations with schools and
students. Interviews can help to obtain insiders' perspectives on the operation of the
scheme, and also their reflections and opinions of the scheme. Two or three student
31
tutors were interviewed from each category. They were selected with a different
background. For example, the year of study, major subject and their attitude towards
being a teacher after graduation. All interviewees were undergraduate students in
the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd). They had served as tutors in the
scheme for at least one whole semester, to ensure they had the relevant experience
in teaching the after-school classes. Graduate tutors were excluded. This was to
prevent their full-time working experience from affecting their reflection and opinion
on this scheme.
All one-to-one interviews were semi-structured and conducted in Cantonese. The

interviews were semi-structured in the sense that 17 open-ended questions were
designed before the interview session (see Appendix F), but these questions might
not have to be followed during the interview in any particular order. Sometimes, the
wording of questions was changed, and additional questions were asked for the
purpose of clarification or elaboration. All interviews took place in the public area in
HKIEd, e.g. Learning Common area and canteen. The interviews typically took around
20 to 25 minutes.
All interviews were audio-recorded and then transcribed in Chinese (Cantonese). The
interview data transcribed was analyzed through the process of coding. Coding is the
process of making segments of data with symbols, descriptive words or category
names (Johnson &Christensen, 2014, p. 592). Meaningful responses from
interviewees were assigned a code to signify that particular segment. The codes
were based on the conceptual framework mentioned above, as well as their role in
after-school classes and the forces shaping the role. Also, there are two stages of the
coding process to enhance the intracoder reliability, the second stage of coding is
two weeks after the first one. There are 280 results of agreement out of 304 results
in total, and the reliability of code is 92.1%.
The backgrounds of interviewees are listed in Table 3.1.
32
Category A
Case 1
A year 4 student, majoring in General Studies, started
teaching the after-school classes in year 3, taught in
three schools.
Case 2
A year 3 student, majoring in Mathematics, started
teaching the after-school classes in year one, taught in
three schools.
Category B
Case 3
A year 3 student, majoring in Chinese Language,
started teaching the after-school classes in year 1,
taught in three schools.
Case 4
A year 3 student, majoring in Chinese Language, taught
in one school only when she was year 3.
Case 5
teaching the after-school classes in year one, taught in
five schools.
Category C
Case 6
A year 4 student, majoring in Chinese Language,
started teaching the after-school classes in year 3,
taught in three schools.
Case 7
teaching the after-school classes in year 2, taught in
two schools.
33
Category C
Case 8
A year 3 student, majoring in Chinese Language, taught
in one school only when she was year 1.
Table 3.1 List of categories of interviewees
3.3.4 Pilot Test

Before sending out the questionnaire, a pilot test, which involved two Third Year
undergraduate students, was carried out. The purpose of the pilot test was to
determine if any of the questionnaire items and interview questions were confusing
or meaningless. This kind of pretesting helped to to evaluate the questionnaire and
interview questions capacity to collect the desired data, and the capabilities of the
selected mode of data collection (Liu, 2015, pp.256). Also, it helped to examine how
long it would take participants to finish the questionnaire and the interview. The
questionnaire was modified after the pilot test, and some interview questions were
added.
For example, before the pilot test was conducted, I had assumed that the
after-school classes were arranged in regular classrooms. However, the interviewee
reported that some schools might put more than one group of students and tutors in
one classroom. A school was known to arrange all students, including the
participants of other after-school programs, in the canteen for homework guidance.
This indicated that the teaching environment might be a factor affecting tutors' work
in a real-life context.
In addition to this, tutors may have developed different understandings on the

concept of homework guidance through their participation in the pilot test. Some
tutors assume it is a kind of 'passive' tutorial class, which means they may wait for
students' questions and answer them. Some tutors prefer to see it as a kind of
'active' homework guidance. Those tutors may take the initiative in checking
students' homework. As a result of this difference, if it remains undiscussed, I would
need to make a detailed inquiry based on their preconceptions of homework
34
guidance and how this relates to the reality of a homework guidance class.
The pilot tests help to increase the understanding of the reality of the after-school
classes, and also the feelings of tutors. It is important to modify the data collection
instruments, including questionnaire and interview questions, as well as interview
skills, in order to collect valuable data and describe more in their teaching contexts.
3.3 Limitations
This study attempts to understand parts of the operation of the After-school
Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme. Due to the limited time and resources,
this study has focused solely on understanding the views of tutors. In other words,
the perspective of students, parents, or even school teachers may have been
neglected. For example, tutors would tell me about the school using the canteen as
the venue of after-school classes, but they could not tell me the reason for making
this arrangement and how students felt about that. The absence of school teachers
and students in this study makes it possible that this dissertation may not answer the
research questions based on a full understanding of the contexts.
In the interview, student tutors were willing to tell me the insider story. They had no
intention to protect schools, because they did not have a long-term relationship with
schools. However, tutors may try to protect themselves, by shifting the problem or
difficulties to schools or students. Moreover, participants may have different
understandings of some keywords in the questionnaire as mentioned above. For
example, an interviewee ticked both 'always' in 'Enhancing high achiever' and
'Remedial teaching for low achiever' on question 12 in the questionnaire. She
explained that her classes have both high achievers and low achievers. But others
might think that it is a mixed group class and do not tick these two columns in this
question. The different understandings of keywords may reduce the validity of the
questionnaire. It would be better for tutors to explain their answer in more detail in
the questionnaire, but this is likely to reduce people's intention on answering the
questionnaire.
35
The study concentrates on only 35 tutors from HKIEd and it is only a small proportion
of all tutors in the scheme. That means the data collected in this study may not be
typical enough to show the reality of the scheme. Choosing HKIEd as a research site
is mainly because the interpersonal network of the researcher is in this place. As a
full-time staff and alumnus of HKIEd, it is easier to contact interviewees in HKIEd than
in other institutions. The situation in other TEIs, including The University of Hong
Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and The
Open University of Hong Kong, is not the focus of this study. Thus, the findings of this
proposed study can only reveal part of the reality of the After-school Learning
Support Partnership Pilot Scheme, but not the whole picture.
36
Chapter 4. Findings
This chapter presents the data collected from policy documents, school notices,
questionnaires and interviews. The first three parts present the general picture of
the Pilot Scheme, focusing on the background of tutors, their reasons for
participating in this scheme, and different types of after-school classes and tutors
roles. The last part describes the teaching context and tutors experiences and
feelings in this Pilot Scheme on a case-by-case basis, before proceeding to a more
in-depth comparison in the next chapter.
4.1 Background of Tutors

One of the objectives of the Pilot Scheme has been to provide opportunities to
pre-service teachers, in order to deepen their understanding of the educational
needs of students and give them a foretaste of a teaching career (Legislative Council,
2011). Hence, these opportunities have been offered to the students in full-time
teacher education programs in participating TEIs. For example, local students
completing a Bachelor of Education (BEd) and Postgraduate Diploma of Education
(PGDE) were able to join the Pilot Scheme in HKIEd (School Partnership and Field
Experience Office of HKIEd, 2014).
In this study, 35 questionnaires were collected. All respondents were current

students in HKIEd who are studying a Bachelor of Education program. Most
respondents were Year 3 or Year 4 students, and only five respondents (14.3%) were
in their first or second year of study.
37
Table 4.1 Questionnaire Respondents by Year of Study
For their major subject, 60 percent of respondents (21) were majoring in Chinese
Language. About thirty percent of respondents were majoring in General Studies.
The other subject majors came from subjects such as English Language, Mathematics
and Early Childhood Education. Snowball sampling is one of the main reasons that
such a high number of respondents in this research were those completing a Chinese
major. The students in HKIEd who were known to the researcher are Chinese major
students, and they helped to invite other students to answer the questionnaire.
Table 4.2 Questionnaire Respondents by Major of Study
38
4.2 Reasons for Becoming Tutors in this Scheme

Regarding the reason for becoming tutors of the Pilot Scheme, most of the
respondents (20 or 57.1%) answered earn money as the most important reason.
Thirteen respondents (37.1%) said that their first consideration was to "gain teaching
experience". For those who selected earn money as the first choice, nineteen out
of twenty respondents selected "gain teaching experience" as the second choice.
Also, ten respondents who chose "gain teaching experience" first, placed earn
money as their second choice. There were only two respondents (5.7%) who went
for serving grass-root communities as their first consideration, and some placed it in
the second. However, we can still conclude that financial gain and the accumulation
of teaching experience were the major considerations of respondents involved in this
survey.
In fact, the Pilot Scheme offered an attractive allowance to student-tutors. They

received an allowance, initially set at $130 to$170 per hour of service depending on
their year of study (Legislative Council, 2011). First year BEd students-tutors were
paid $130 per hour, second year students-tutors received $150 per hour, and a rate
of $170 per hour was given to third year or above and PGDE student-tutors. Some
interviewees responded that the allowance or salary in this Pilot Scheme was very
competitive when compared to the salary of other part-time jobs and private
tutoring jobs, which are typically below $100 per hour for homework guidance
classes in private tutorial centers.
4.3 Types of Tutoring and Roles of Tutors

The Pilot Scheme allowed schools to design the after school program based on their
students needs. As the policy document from the Education Bureau states
(Legislative Council, 2011):
School can then make school-based decisions on the arrangement of

guidance sessions to meet the needs of their students (e.g. time,
duration, broad content, distribution of contact hours among target
39
students in light of individual differences).
As a result of this, there is a diverse range of after-school classes under this scheme,
even within a single school. Based on observations made of school notices that were
accessed via the Internet, in terms of their after-school classes on offer, there are
two major types of after school classes. These are classes which are focused on
homework guidance, and those set up for the purpose of subject teaching. These are
outlined below:
Homework Guidance model: This type of after-school class is typically held on

weekdays, outside of school hours. The homework guidance class usually takes
1.5 to 2 hours per session. However, according to interviewees, some schools
have been known to arrange two sessions per day to provide supervision for
those students who would otherwise be left at home alone.
Due to the duration of the after-school class, there are still many differences in
the arrangements of after-school classes from one school to the next. Take the
teaching environment as an example: schools usually arrange for the
after-school classes to be run in classrooms. However, there was one school
that concentrated all tutors and students in the canteen for their after-school
classes. Some schools put several groups of students in one classroom, or
arrange to have two tutors for a big group of students.
It has been found in the research that schools do not usually provide specific
and clear instructions to tutors. Tutors often know their duties only through the
career advertisements written by the schools. Sometimes, tutors are requested
to follow a sequence in order to check students homework. The priorities are
given to English Language and Mathematics, due to some parents being unable
to support their children in these subject areas.
Subject teaching model: Some schools require student-tutors to teach specific

subjects in after-school classes. They mainly focus on English Language and
40
Mathematics, but sometimes also Chinese Language for low-achieving students.

This kind of after school class may be arranged on weekdays, but is also
sometimes planned for a Saturday morning. The duration of tutorial classes is
diverse. They can be a one-hour tutorial lesson after school on weekdays, but
some schools arrange for sessions of three hours on a Saturday morning.
According to interviewees, schools may require tutors to help students prepare

for formal assessment tasks encountered in their normal schooling, by working
with them on tasks such as mock dictation and revision. Some schools may
provide teaching materials (mainly worksheets or exercise books) to tutors, and
in this case, they need to guide students in finishing these additional classwork
exercises during the tutorial class. However, some of the cases studied
indicated that schools may require tutors to design the teaching content and
materials based on their expertise and the needs of their students.
In fact, there were some cases that pointed out that some schools required student
tutors to set aside half of the lesson for homework guidance and half of the lesson
for subject teaching. This model is flexible for tutors, since they can design the
after-school lessons independently. However, it has been found that this mixed
model does not work in some cases. Tutors see homework guidance as a more
important duty in after-school classes. According to one of the interviewees:
My students are primary one. They work slowly, and need sufficient time
to finish their homework. Some students will come late because they
have other activities, but I need to wait for them until they finish all their
homeworkif I dont give time to finish their homework in the after
school classes, they may not know how to do it. Time management is
difficult in this situation
One common feature of all after-school programs was the student-tutor ratio. It was
shown that the suggested number of students should be 6 to 8 per group (HKIEd,
2014). In fact, most of the respondents stated that they had 6 to 10 students in a
41
group. Only 5 respondents out of 35 said they usually had more than 10 students in a
group. This student-tutor ratio is much better than the ratio found in regular
schooling, which commonly has 25 to 30 students per class in local primary school.
However, interviewees reflected that the class size is still too big for a homework
guidance class. Due to time constraints compounded by the number of students,
they can only answer students' questions and tell them the answers, instead of
guiding them finish their homework on their own.
4.4 Case Study

The previous part reported the general picture of the after-school program. In this
section, eight cases of tutors will be reported on, based on the data collected from
the questionnaire and personal interview. In this part, each case is reported with the
tutors background, their role in after-school classes, their relationship with schools,
students performance and the tutors comments and feelings on the Pilot Scheme.
4.4.1 Category A- Case 1: Chun

Background
Chun is a Year 4 BEd student majoring in General Studies. He started working as a
tutor in the Pilot Scheme in his third year of study. Other than teaching after school
classes in the Pilot Scheme, he has a few experiences in personal tutoring and
teaching practice. Chun identified the most important reason to participate the
after-school program as being to gain teaching experience, and his second reason
was to serve grass-root communities. His third consideration was for the purpose of
earning money.
Tutors Role
Chun taught in two schools within the Yuen Long district. The after-school classes in
these two schools operated in homework guidance mode, but Chun was sometimes
required to teach students according to the needs of the schools. For example, when
the assessment week was approaching, Chun would be given textbooks or exercise
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books to help students prepare for the coming examination. In the homework
guidance classes, as was the normal situation, Chun was requested to guide students
in finishing their English and Mathematics homework because they needed more
support in those subjects. In contrast, Chun was told that he could leave Chinese and
General Studies homework for students to finish at home. In one school, he was
given a checklist with which to report the students who finished all of their
homework during the homework guidance class.
When completing his questionnaire, Chun selected 'tutor', 'teacher' and 'big brother'
as the best three words to describe his role in the after-school classes. However, as
he explained in an interview, his answer was based on the way students referred to
him, instead of his work in the after-school classes he taught. Junior form students
considered Chun as their 'teacher', but senior form students referred to him as 'tutor'
or 'big brother'. Regarding his work in after-school classes, he would personally have
chosen 'tutor' and 'big brother' to describe his role, as his work was mainly based on
homework guidance.
Relation with School(s)

Concerning Chuns relation with schools, he was informed of the nature of his duty
and work in the after-school classes through interviews in both schools. School
teachers asked him some simple questions about classroom management and told
him the background of the relevant students. Chun was satisfied with his relation to
the schools and their arrangements. He felt that both schools trusted tutors, and did
not put pressure on them. Duty school teachers would visit the classroom
infrequently, and sometimes checked students homework. Other than that, there
was no official monitoring measure in place to evaluate tutors performance in these
two schools.
Student Performance
Compared to other interviewees, Chun did not emphasize the effect of students on
his role. Because he thought that around 70 percent of students were unwilling to
43
attend after-school classes, his role would be shaped by students on occasion. Chuns
students were low achievers, and his classes were typically more than ten students.
He felt that the situation was fine in lower-form classes, but senior-form students
had the potential to create behavior problems. He admitted that students behavior
problems affected his role, in that he needed to behave more like a teacher than a
tutor in this situation, and had to become stern in his discipline methods.
Comments and Reflections

Chun said that he gained a lot of teaching experience from the after-school program,
because the after-school classes provided him with opportunities to teach students
in a real context. Secondly, he had the chance to know more about students
difficulties in finishing their homework, which would be very helpful if he wanted to
be a school teacher after graduating from HKIEd. In terms of the students, Chun
thought that they could benefit from the after-school program, not only by being
able to finish their homework during the class, but also by being able to learn the
method of doing homework, a method which their parents may not have known to
teach them.
4.4.2 Category A- Case 2: Carrie

Background
Carrie was a Year 3 BEd student majoring in Mathematics. She started working as a
tutor in the Pilot Scheme in her first year of study. She did not have any teaching or
tutorial experience other than this after-school program. Carrie participated in the
after-school program mainly to gain teaching experience. Her second consideration
was to earn money, and the goal to serve grass-root families came third.
Tutors Role
Carrie taught three schools in the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun districts. Two of these
schools offered homework guidance classes to students on weekdays, and the other
one offered a subject-specific class on Saturdays. Regarding the role of the tutor in
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these two different types of classes, she described her role as below:
For homework guidance class, (my work) is to check students

homework, manage the classroom, make them quiet, and so sitting
down in front of them is my major dutyFor subject teaching class, I
have to prepare teaching materials, such as prepare worksheets. The
subject teaching class is to consolidate their understanding on
knowledge in normal schooling, but not teaching students something
outside the formal curriculum.
When completing the questionnaire, Carrie answered with the terms 'teacher',
'homework counselor' and 'tutor' as the best three words to describe her role in
after-school classes. She explained that the teacher role only appeared in the
subject-specific teaching class, as this kind of after school class is similar to the
lessons provided during regular school hours. She taught this kind of class recently,
so she ranked it as number one. 'Homework counselor' and 'tutor' better described
her role in homework guidance classes. From her point of view, the running of the
homework guidance class was similar to that of a tutorial class in a private tutorial
center, which meant teaching a small group of low-achieving students in order to
help them finish their homework.

Regarding her relation with schools, Carrie mentioned that the communication with
schools offering the homework guidance class was simple. School teachers did not
mention too much regarding their requirements, but simply provided the tutors with
model answers of students' homework. The subject teaching class was another
scenario entirely: a senior teacher and a teaching assistant were responsible for the
management of the whole course. They held a briefing meeting with tutors; some
school teachers attended the meeting to discuss the school rules, the curriculum and
students' performance with tutors. The teaching content was assigned by school
teachers, but Carrie was afforded the flexibility to design the teaching method and
45
some teaching materials. She felt that the subject teaching class had monitoring
measures, through regular lesson observation by the senior teacher and the teaching
assistant, as well as a debriefing meeting held after every class.
Student Performance
In addition to the course design, students' performance was another factor shaping
Carrie's role in the after-school classes. She emphasized that in the subject teaching
classes, which were one and half hour lessons on Saturday mornings, students were
unwilling to attend and performed very negatively. In this situation, Carrie would try
to play games with the students in an attempt to motivate them. She felt that she
was a 'tutor' rather than a 'teacher' in this situation. Carrie's experience in the
homework guidance class is also worth reporting. One school arranged tutors and
students in the canteen for their after-school classes. "The canteen is full of
studentsIt is messy, noisy and overcrowded. It is impossible to maintain discipline in
this environment. I just like a big sister standing beside them." Carrie said.
In another school, they were arranged in a normal classroom for homework guidance,
but two groups were combined into one room, which meant that there were around
twenty students to two tutors in one classroom. Carrie felt that it was much better
than working in the canteen, as she could maintain good discipline in the classroom,
and she was better able to perform as a 'tutor' or 'homework counselor' in this
situation.

Carrie learned a lot from the subject teaching class, as she gained experience in
teaching and designing teaching materials. She also felt that the allowance was
reasonable compared to other tutorial jobs in the private market. However, there
was no difference in the allowance between these two types of after-school class.
Sometimes, she would prefer to do more of the homework guidance class, because
there was less preparation involved. Students of these classes were not welcome to
the Saturday lesson of learning Mathematics, even it might be helpful on their
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academic result. She stated that the homework guidance class was helpful to
students from grass-root families, as not all parents could support students' learning,
concerning time and their educational background.
4.4.3 Category B - Case 3: Antonia

Background
Antonia was a Year 3 BEd student majoring in Chinese Language. She taught one
after-school class under the Pilot Scheme this year. She is also a personal tutor of
several primary students. The most important consideration of Antonia to join the
after-school program was to earn money. To gain teaching experience was her
second consideration, and to serve grass-root families was the least important
factor.
Tutors Role
Antonia saw her role as a 'homework counselor, inspector' and babysitter. She
selected the first two roles because she regarded her main duty in after-school class
to be in supporting and motivating students to finish their homework during this
class. She also needed to maintain a learning atmosphere and adequate discipline in
the classroom. She chose 'babysitter because her students are in primary 1 and lack
independence; she had to take care of her students like a babysitter.

The school in which Antonia taught was in the Kowloon East district. The school
suggested that Antonia teach something based on student needs. She interpreted
this to mean that the school preferred her to teach English in the after-school class
because her students were mostly weak in English, based on her observations. Also,
the school required her to support students to finish English homework was a priority.
In fact, she would help students prepare dictation in the after-school classes, or play
language games with students when they finished all of their homework.
Regarding her relation with the school, the school teacher told her the expectations
47
and school rules in a briefing session before the after-school classes were
commenced. As mentioned above, Antonia did not follow the suggestions of the
school to separate the class into two parts. She did not experience any pressure from
the school or any consequence, even though she did not follow the suggestion. She
knew that the principal and vice principal looked around the after-school classes on
occasion, but she felt that they wanted to help her to handle students' behavior
problems, rather than monitoring her performance. She needed to report on her
work and students performance in a booklet, which she was required to maintain in
a simple way. The booklet was designed for this after-school program, and some
rules were listed in the booklet. However, Antonia did not see it as a monitoring
measure on her performance.
Student Performance
Antonia taught this after-school class twice a week, and there were seven students in
her class. The school suggested that Antonia separate the lesson into two parts with
equal time: homework guidance and subject teaching. She emphasized that this was
only a suggestion and not a requirement for tutors. There were some reasons that
she would focus on homework guidance in her class. For example, she believed that
if students could not finish all of their homework in the after-school class, their
parents would not be able to support them. Another reason was time management.
She explained:
My students are in primary 1. They work slowly and need sufficient

time to finish their homework. Some students will come late because
they have other extra-curricular activities, but I need to wait for them
until they finish all their homeworkif I dont give sufficient time to
finish their homework in the after school classes, they may not know
how to do it at home. Time management is difficult in this situation
As a result, Antonia did not completely follow the suggestion.

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Antonia felt that this after-school program was good for her. She needed to prepare a
formal teaching practice in her third year of study. The experience in after-school
classes helped her to adapt the school environment and understand students' needs.
She thought that tutors were overpaid in this program, and the market price for
personal tutoring was around HK$120 per hour. She would have preferred to teach
more classes in this program, instead of taking another tutoring job. The after-school
program was also good for the students involved because it provided tutors to
support them in finishing their homework. Moreover, the after-school classes were
able to help children of dual-career families to avoid staying at home alone. She
perceived this as a benefit of the Pilot Scheme for both students and parents.
4.4.4 Category B - Case 4: Chris

Background
Chris was a Year 3 BEd student majoring in Chinese Language. She taught
after-school classes at three different schools in the Kowloon East district under the
Pilot Scheme. She had taught other Chinese tutorial classes in schools and provided
personal tutoring for primary students. The main reason for Chris participating in the
after-school program was to earn money; her second consideration was to gain
teaching experience, and the purpose of serving grass-root families came third.
Tutors Role
Chris saw her role as a homework counselor and inspector in after-school classes,
with the role of teacher coming in third. She explained that the first two words
better described her work in homework guidance classes. This was because her role
varied between the two, depending on students motivation and behavior. When her
students were naughty, she needed to pay more attention to discipline, so she would
become more like an inspector in this case. She chose teacher in the third place
simply because after-school classes operated in the school and classroom.
49

All schools she taught in offered homework guidance classes to students. She knew
her duties from the job advertisement, so the school teachers did not describe their
expectations in detail. Before she got the job, school teachers interviewed her in
order to understand her personality, her reasons for participating in the after-school
program and to test her language ability. However, the school teachers did not
describe the tutors role or their expectations regarding her performance. Only one
school required her to check English homework first, and then Mathematics. For the
monitoring measure on the tutor, she mentioned that school teachers might observe
the lesson from outside the classroom, but she was not sure if it was a kind of
monitoring measure. When she was her year 1, a senior teacher had come to the
classroom and helped her handle students behavior problems. Nevertheless, that
was the only instance in which she had experienced a school teacher intervening in
the class.
Student Performance
According to Chris, most of her students were not willing to attend the after-school
classes. She thought that many students did not have the motivation to attend this
kind of after-school class because they had been forced to attend an extra lesson.
The problem was that if they were not willing to attend, they would create a lot of
behavior problems, affecting her role in the classes as mentioned above. Only a few
students would concentrate on their homework, and these students usually
performed very well in school. These students parents were simply unable to take
care of them after school hours.

Chris said that a reasonable allowance level was an important factor attracting her to
participate in this after-school program. The allowance was reasonable because it
was much higher than other part-time jobs for undergraduate students, which are
usually no more than HK$100 per hour. Other than that, she gained a lot of teaching
experience in this program, especially regarding how to handle students' behavior
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problems. As she said, BEd students in HKIEd would be sent to block practice in their
third and forth years of study. The after-school program gave them valuable
opportunities to teach in school before that. Last but not least, this after-school
program was good for students from dual-career families. This was because the
students could stay on the school campus after school hours, and they were able to
ask for help when they had questions about their homework.
4.4.5 Category B - Case 5: Tweety

Background
Tweet was a year 4 BEd student majoring in General Studies. She has taught five
after-school classes in different schools under the Pilot Scheme. She has also taught
primary students in other tutorial classes, activity classes and through personal
tutoring. Tweety wanted to gain more teaching experience from this program. This
was her first consideration to join the scheme, to earn money and to serve
grass-root families were the second and the third consideration of being a tutor in
this scheme.
Tutors Role
Tweetys case was complicated compared to other cases. She taught homework
guidance classes in three schools. The teaching environment was vastly different
from one school to the next. This factor affected her role and performance in the
after-school classes. One school required her to teach Mathematics in the
after-school class. The remaining ones suggested that she did both homework
guidance and subject teaching in an after-school class, which meant that she should
separate the class into two sessions with equal time. Tweety did not follow this
suggestion in fact, as there was no monitoring measure.
In the questionnaire, she chose homework counselor, tutor and inspector as the
best three words to describe her role in after-school classes. As she explained in the
interview, the answer was based mainly on her experience in homework guidance
class because she had more experience in this type of tutorial. The roles of
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homework counselor and tutor seemed similar to her. This was because her duties
were to check students homework, answer their questions and motivate them to do
homework. Another reason for choosing tutor was that the scenario was quite
similar to the tutorial center in Hong Kong. Students from different classes and forms
came and sat together to do homework. The inspector role was about classroom
management that maintained the discipline in classroom. However, she admitted
that her role in the subject teaching class was more like a teacher, and these
answers may not applicable in a homework guidance class.

In Tweetys case, the schools arrangements were a key factor affecting her role and
performance in the after-school classes. For example, one school arranged to send
different students to her every week, meaning that she could not develop good
relationships with students and become a pure homework counselor. She also
emphasized that the attitudes and motivation of the school in organizing this
after-school program significantly affected the tutors.
I remember a school invited me for an interview, but the teacher did

not ask me anything about teaching or students, but only concerned
how my schedule fit the schools needs. In another school, the
principal interviewed me more than half an hour, and told me a lot
about their expectations and students situation. So, it is very easy to
see how serious they take it.
Schools arranging a homework guidance class does not mean that they are not
serious about students assignment, and so avoid having to handle it by themselves.
Tweety mentioned that some homework guidance classes were well-organized. One
school she taught had arranged a teaching assistant to administrate the whole
program. He observed lessons and helped tutors handle and follow up students
behavior problems.
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Tweety knew what her duties were from the job advertisements. School teachers did
not mention too much about her role in after-school classes. One school required
her both to give homework guidance to students and to teach them subject
knowledge. She did not follow this requirement because she found that students did
not have sufficient time to finish all of their homework if she did so. Also, she could
not find evidence of any monitoring measure on tutors. Therefore, there would not
be a consequence or penalty if tutors did not follow the suggestion. In the
Mathematics class, there was a senior teacher who observed several of her lessons
and gave her some suggestions on teaching and handling student behaviors. Other
than that, she did not see any other monitoring measure being carried out on the
work of tutors.
Student Performance
Tweety reported that students behavior would affect her role in after-school classes.
If there were many behavior problems, then she could only play an inspector role
instead of homework counselor due to the necessity to maintain discipline in the
classroom. However, she pointed out that the reason for so many behavior problems
was mainly because of the schools arrangements. For example, a school offered two
sessions of homework guidance class on one day, and both lasted one and a half
hours. Some students may have needed to attend two sessions, which meant that
they had to do their homework for a total of three hours. She commented that this
was too long for primary students, and would reduce students motivation to attend
the after-school classes.

In comparison to other part-time tutoring jobs, Tweety felt that the allowance in this
scheme was very attractive, especially in terms of the homework guidance class. This
was because she did not have to prepare anything for it. She gained valuable
teaching experience from the Mathematics class, but there was only twenty percent
of each class being presented in subject-teaching mode. She believed that the Pilot
Scheme was good for the students. Students who needed to participate in
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after-school programs were usually facing two kinds of problems. The first one was
that their parents were not capable of helping them with their homework. The
second problem was that they came from dual-income families, with no-one to take
care of them after school hours. Without the Pilot Scheme, they may have gone to a
fee-charging private tutorial center. The after-school program allowed students to do
homework with their schoolmates at their own schools. Qualified pre-service
teachers provided tutoring services without charging fees.
4.4.6 Category C- Case 6: Wing

Background
Wing was a Year 4 BEd student majoring in Chinese Language. She taught
after-school classes in two different schools under the Pilot Scheme. Other than
teaching after-school classes, she also taught tutorial classes and provided some
personal tutoring. The first consideration of Wing to join the after-school program
was to earn money; the second consideration was to gain teaching experience, and
to serve grass-root families was the least important factor.
She taught two different types of after-school classes in two schools. The first one
was a typical homework guidance class that required her to help students with their
homework and check the homework they had completed. Another after-school class
was a Chinese Language class on weekdays. The subject teaching class aimed to
finish some additional exercises assigned by the school teachers.
Tutors Role
Wing saw herself most often as a big sister. She was occasionally taking on the role
of a tutor or 'teacher. She explained that the teaching environment was one of the
major factors in shaping her role in after-school classes. In her classes, there were
only four to six students in a group, and there were two or three groups in one
classroom. She sat close to her students during the homework guidance class, and
was able to establish a close relationship with these students. She would chat with
her students about some personal and family topics. As a result, she saw her role as
54
less strict than teacher - a big sister and tutor. Adversely, in the subject teaching
classes, she felt that her role was more like a teacher, in that it was similar to the
role of a teacher in regular schooling.

Wing did not mention too much about her relation with schools because she could
not remember. For the homework guidance class, she could only remember that the
school teacher told her to make sure students finished all of their homework before
they left. This was similar to the school that offered Chinese classes. School teachers
provided teaching materials to her and Wing followed the arrangement in order to
guide and support students to finish those additional exercises. There was no specific
monitoring or evaluation measure to tutors in her case. Even though school teachers
sometimes visited the after-school classes, she did not see it as a monitoring
measure.
Student Performance
In comparing the students motivation to attend two classes, Wing found that the students
in the homework guidance class were much better motivated than the students in the
Chinese class. The reason was that the subject teaching class forced students to do extra
exercises other than their homework. However, in the homework guidance class, no extra
exercises were given. Tutors merely provided support in completing their homework. The
attitude of students affected their relationship with the tutor, and that is one of the reasons
why she saw herself as a big sister in the homework guidance class. She felt that she got
along better with those students because she did not have to deliver extra exercises to them.

Overall, Wing saw the Pilot Scheme in a positive way. She emphasized that the
allowance was very attractive compared to the salary in the private market. Another
reason for her to teach in this after-school program was that she seldom felt
pressure from her employer, which was significantly different from teaching in a
tutorial center or providing personal tutoring. However, she thought that the
experience gained from the Pilot Scheme was not useful for her future career. This
55
was because the environment and setting of after-school classes were totally
different from normal schooling. Wing thought that the after-school classes were
also influential to students. Many of whom had attended needed this kind of class
because, according to the school teachers, no-one could take care of them after
school. Besides this, many of Wings students significantly improved in their
academic abilities after attending the classes. She was content with this outcome.
4.4.7 Category C- Case 7: Race

Background
Race was a Year 4 BEd student majoring in General Studies. She started working as a
tutor in the Pilot Scheme when she was in her second year of study. In addition to
participating in the Pilot Scheme, she had a few other tutorial experiences, which
included working in tutorial center, as well as providing some personal tutoring. She
saw the purpose, to 'earn money', as the most important reason for participating in
the Pilot Scheme. However, she very much wanted to be a teacher after graduating
from HKIEd.
Tutors Role
Race taught in two schools in this after-school program. The first school only offered
her a position teaching a homework guidance class. However, the second school
offered her two different types of after-school class. She taught homework guidance
class on weekdays, and an English Language class on Saturdays. This English class
taught students to finish an English exercise book. In her questionnaire, she selected
'Inspector', 'Homework counselor' and 'Teacher' as the best three words to describe
her role in after-school classes. The most influential factor of her answer was the
class size. She explained in the interviews:
The main reason is...the class size is big. If there are more than 15
students in one group, it is hard to rank 'Homework Counselor' or
'Teacher' as number one, so I rank 'Inspector' as number one.......If
there are too many students need me to teach them individually, I can
56
only tell them the answer directly. So, it is difficult to do the 'real'
homework guidance, I can only supervise them and inspect their
homework.
In fact, Race's classes were relatively big in these after-school programs. As

mentioned above, the suggested class size is only 6-8 students per group, but her
classes normally consisted of 11-14 students, and sometimes more than 15 students.
In the English tutorial class on Saturday, Races role was to guide low-achieving
students in English to finish an exercise book, selected by the school. She didnt know
whether parents or schools paid for the exercise books.

Race did not remember how she knew her duties in the homework guidance class. In
her mind, there was no specific task that was assigned by any school, teacher or
principal. In the Saturday English class, school teachers gave her a paper that
mentioned a suggested teaching sequence of topics. However, there was no
suggestion for pedagogy or classroom management.
Regarding the evaluation measures, Race emphasized that there was no monitoring
or evaluation measure in the homework guidance classes. In the English classes, a
school teacher observed the lesson for a few minutes, and took only a few notes, but
made no comment or expressed any opinion on her teaching.
Student Performance
Race chose 'inspector' as the best word to describe her role in the after-school class,
but she did not face much in terms of student behavior when compared to other
interviewees. She commented that her students were positive to attend after-school
classes. In the English class on Saturdays, her students were primary 1 and most of
them were cross-boundary students (live in mainland China but are Hong Kong
permanent residents). She felt that her students were very keen to learn and
concentrated on their class work in every lesson. In homework guidance class, there
57
was only one student unwilling to attend the after-school lesson, but others
performed well and were cooperative with her.

Moreover, Race felt that she was able to benefit from the after-school program.
Other than the allowance, she gained a small repertoire of classroom management
skills. However, she was not satisfied with her role in homework guidance classes,
because she wanted to teach students to do homework instead of handling students
behavior problems. Sometimes, she was only able to urge students to do homework,
and then check with them. She still prefers to teach the homework guidance class
under the Pilot Scheme, claiming that it is better than those in private tutorial
centers. In her experience, private tutorial centers often place pressure on tutors,
and tutors have to guarantee that there will be 90 percent of answers correct in
students' homework. This means that tutors can only give students the answer
instead of teaching them to determine the answer for themselves.
4.4.8 Category C- Case 8: Jenny

Background
Jenny is a year 3 BEd student majoring in Chinese Language. She taught just one
after-school class under the Pilot Scheme in her first year of study. Other than being
a tutor in this after-school program, she has had a few personal tutoring experiences.
Jenny participated in the after-school program particularly for the goal to gain
teaching experience; earn money was her second consideration and serve
grass-root families came third.
Tutors Role
The after-school class she taught was a homework guidance class in the Kowloon
East district. She described her main duty as being to answer students question on
their homework. Moreover, she had to maintain the discipline in the classroom and
facilitate them to finish all homework during the after-school class.
Jenny saw her role as homework counselor, babysitter and inspector. The role of
58
homework counselor, as explained above, was to support and facilitate students in

finishing their homework during after-school classes. For the role of babysitter and
inspector, she felt they were similar in terms of dealing with students behavior
problems and maintaining classroom discipline. She chose baby sitter because her
students are in primary 2. As a result, she had a stronger feeling as a babysitter.

Jenny met the school principal and vice-principal in an interview. They told her that
her main duty was to support students to finish their homework in after-school
classes, and included responsibilities such as motivating and checking, and also to
maintain student discipline within the classroom. Jenny did not see evidence of any
monitoring measures on her in this after school program. She was arranged to teach
a group with around twelve students alongside another tutori.e. In a co-teaching
situation. She mentioned that a school teacher had visited the classroom and offered
help during the after-school classes in the first two weeks.
The interviewee emphasized students as significant force in shaping her role in

after-school classes. In her experience, students were easily influenced by their
classmates, because they were only primary 2. If students could not concentrate on
their homework, then she could not get her work done. That was the reason she
spent time on handling students behavior problems.
Students Performance
Moreover, Jenny mentioned that one reason why tutors always faced behavior
problems in after-school classes was that students usually attended two or three
after-school classes per week, but many tutors like Jenny could only teach one of
them. It may have been difficult to an inexperienced teacher to maintain the
classroom discipline when he or she met students only once per week seeing as
students may have forgotten what tutors had said before, or they may have forgotten
the requirements of the class. Also, different tutors may have different expectations
of their students, especially when the schools do not play an active role in the
59
after-school program to provide tutors with standardized requirements or implement

effective quality assurance measures on tutors.

Overall, Jenny felt satisfied with her experience as a tutor in this after-school
program, including her role, the schools arrangement, and the allowance. She said
that the allowance was very attractive compared to the salary of other part-time
teaching jobs, which are only HK$100 per hour at most for Year 1 students. She
thought that this after-school program was good for students in that they had an
appropriate environment in which to finish their homework. Also, if their parents
needed to work during the daytime, after-school classes helped both parents and
students, ensuring that students were able to stay in a safe place after school hours.
However, Jenny did not agree that the after-school program improved students
academic achievement in an obvious amount. This was because she thought that
students could only get the answer from tutors, rather than learn from the tutor in
order to improve their understanding on subject knowledge. Seeing as Jenny wanted
to gain more experience in teaching like a teacher, she left the Pilot Scheme after
that, and started to teach another Chinese Language course and debating course.
These were able to offer her some more valuable teaching experience and a better
salary.
In summarizing the findings of this chapter, it was found that tutors in the Pilot
Scheme were pre-service teachers studying in Teacher Education Institutions. It is
confirmed that there are different modes of after-school classes in the Pilot Scheme,
including subject-teaching classes and homework guidance classes. The roles of
tutors in these after-school programs were generally affected by the mode of classes.
It appeared that the 'teacher' role was more likely to be associated with subject
teaching class, and the 'tutor' and 'homework counselor' role were more likely to be
associated with homework guidance classes.
Other than that, their roles were affected by teaching environment, student factors
60
and sometimes tutor personalities. However, it is not clear how tutor personalities
affected the roles of tutors in this study. Tutors believed that the Pilot Scheme was
good for students as well as tutors. They thought that the scheme could provide
academic support to students, as well as help parents by taking care of their children
outside of school hours if they needed to work. Also, tutors were able to gain
teaching experience before the formal block practice in an everyday school
environment.
61
Chapter 5. Comparison and Discussion

This chapter analyzes findings from the cases described in the previous chapter.
Section 5.1 compares how different forces and factors shape the role and
performance of the tutors in different cases. Section 5.2 presents the relationship
between different roles of tutors and the influential factors affecting these roles.
Section 5.3 summarizes the operation of this after-school program, including a
discussion on power relations between schools and tutors.
5.1 Case Comparison

In this multiple-case study, interviewees were selected from three categories
according to their responses in the questionnaires, as mentioned in the methodology
chapter (section 3.3.2 and 3.3.3).On the basis of the evidence currently available, it
seems fair to suggest that tutors' roles were shaped by a number of different forces,
even for those who were placed into the same category.
Category A included tutors who saw themselves as more than a homework counselor.
In a similar way to teachers, they disseminated academic knowledge to students in
order to improve academic achievement. Chun (case 1) and Carrie (case 2) were
grouped into this category, but they saw their roles in after-school classes from
different perspectives. Carrie's consideration (case 2) was based on her work and
duty in the classes, and was determined by the mode of after-school classes decided
by schools. She was also sometimes influenced by students' performance in the
classes. Unlike other cases, Chun's (case 1) answer was based on how students
referred to him, instead of considering his work. It reflected that he placed more
emphasis on the factors relating to students, than other factors influencing his role.
62

In category B, the data suggested that interviewees were mainly influenced by the
schools' arrangements. Their role was in fact a reflection on the mode of after-school
63
classes, which were mostly homework guidance classes, hence the reason they chose
'homework counselor' in the first place. Moreover, their roles were sometimes
affected by student factors. Take Antonia as an example: she placed the babysitter
role in the third place because her students were only in primary 1, and she had to
take care of them. Also, Chris (case 4) placed the inspector role in the second place
to reflect that her role was influenced by students behavior. As a result, their
diagram is similar to Carrie (case 2), but they placed more emphasis on student
factors when their answers were compared to those of Carrie.
Diagram 5.3 Diagrammatic representation of cases 3, 4 and 5
The data collected from category C interviewees showed a different situation to that
of category B. Tutors in this category had a different consideration to define their
roles in after-school classes. In Wings case (case 6), she placed big sister in the first
place because she established a close relationship with her students. This related to
both her personality and the student factor. In Races case (case 7), she was
significantly affected by students behavior because the class size was too big to her.
64
The class size was decided by the schools themselves. Hence, her role was influenced
by student factors and also school factors, but in an indirect manner. Jenny (case 8)
was grouped into category C according to her response in the questionnaire, but her
response in the interview showed that her experience was similar to that of Antonia
(case 3). This means that she taught homework guidance class for primary 1 students,
indicating that she performed as a homework counselor and babysitter in
after-school classes.
65
In comparing the cases above, it is found that the roles of tutors were mostly
influenced by school factors and student factors, although some of them mentioned
66
that they were inexperienced to handle students behavior problems. There is

insufficient evidence to confirm the theory that tutor personalities are an important
factor in shaping tutors roles in the pilot scheme. One possible reason is that tutors
may not want to emphasize how their personalities affect their work, or they may
not be aware of how this factor affects their role.
It is worth taking the time to explain the examples quoted in this study. Some cases
were quoted more frequently than others in this paper. One of the reasons for this
was that some tutors might have had more experience than others. In comparison to
the tutor who had taught in only one or two schools, the tutor who taught in several
schools through this Pilot Scheme would provide more insight because they would
be able to compare their own experiences between different schools themselves.
Also, some cases were quoted more frequently than others if they were able to
provide more typical evidence to explain the tutors role and the factors influencing
how this was carried out.
5.2 Factors of tutors role

The findings of this study confirmed that there are different types of after-school
classes, and that tutors might perform different roles in the After-School Learning
Support Partnership Pilot Scheme. The content of after-school classes in this pilot
scheme seems to be similar to the extended-day program described by Fashola (2002,
p.8) in the USA as mentioned in section 2.1. The word similar in this sentence is
referring to the content of the classes, not the way they operated. In terms of
content, it is about the curriculum that is to be delivered, not the social structures or
modes of teaching. This kind of after-school class focuses on academic activities and
is connected to regular schooling.
One of the main objectives of the pilot scheme was to enhance students learning
effectiveness at an early stage. There are also other after-school programs funded by
the government and related organizations. For example, School-based After-School
Learning and Support Programme is another after-school program funded by the
67
Education Bureau, providing tutorial services and enrichment (including cultural and
art activities, sports activities, leadership training and volunteer services) to
economically disadvantaged students (Education Bureau, 2014a). After-school Care
Pilot Scheme is another program funded by the Community Care Fund4 that
cooperates with school and NGOs to provide day care services for low-income
families (Education Bureau, 2014b). Compared to these after-school programs, the
pilot scheme focuses on students academic achievement. This study confirms that
there are two major modes of delivery of after-school classes in this pilot scheme:
subject teaching, and homework guidance.
It has been found that homework guidance classes were the mainstream delivery
mode, as observed in this pilot scheme. In reference to the school notices collected
from the Internet, the number of subject-teaching classes was less than the number
of homework guidance classes. Also, most research participants reported that they
taught a homework guidance class, but only a few tutors taught subject teaching
classes in the pilot scheme. This finding aligns with the survey from the Society for
Community Organization (2013) that more tutors were teaching homework guidance
classes (63%), and fewer tutors were teaching subject-specific classes (52%), but the
proportion of homework guidance classes in this study were even higher. A possible
explanation for this is in the difference in tutors backgrounds. There were ten
research participants (28.9%) majoring in General Studies, who might not have
preferred to teach a subject-specific class. This is because subject teaching classes
mainly focus on language subjects or Mathematics. There was only one participant
who was studying an English major and two participants with a Mathematics major.
Although tutors may have taught the same mode of after-school classes, their
experiences of participating in the pilot scheme were different. Their experiences
The Community Care Fund (CCF) was established in 2011 by the government. It is a charitable trust
fund which has collected five billion dollars from the government and the business sector (Wikipedia,
2015). Its main objective is to provide assistance to people facing economic difficulties. The CCF may
implement measures on a pilot basis to help the Government identify those that can be considered
for incorporation into the Government's regular assistance and service programs (Community Care
Fund, 2015).
68
were affected by schools arrangements, student performance and their personalities.

The following subsections (5.2.1 to 5.2.4) analyze how and why different roles
appeared for tutors in this after-school program.
5.2.1 Teacher
The teacher role can be interpreted as that of a knowledge disseminator, who
teaches students knowledge that aligns with the school curriculum. Also, the form of
classes in this sense is similar to the classes in regular schooling in terms of the
teaching environment and teacher-student relation. The teacher role implies that
the after-school classes are an extension of regular schooling. The teacher role only
appears in a few cases in this study. For example, in Carrie's case (case 2), she
performed as a teacher because it was a subject teaching class. Chris (case 3)
selected this role to reflect that the teaching environment (classroom) was similar to
regular schooling, although she did not emphasize this role.
It is relatively clear that the main factor influencing a teacher role is the schools
arrangement. These arrangements include the mode of after-school classes and the
teaching environment, as designed explicitly by schools. However, in the schools that
suggested tutors operate after-school classes in a mixed mode, it was found that the
tutor had a role in determining the mode of delivery for the after-school class. They
did not tend to teach like school teachers, however, due to factors such as time
management.
5.2.2 Tutor / Homework counselor

The tutor and homework counselor role are similar to that of interviewees, and
they always appear in the same case. These two roles mainly exist in homework
guidance classes, which is a common type of after-school class. Interviewees usually
interpret the tutor role as being connected to the teaching environment in a
tutorial center, in terms of the scale of classes and working in small groups. The
homework counselor role is simply related to the content of after-school classes,
which mainly focus on homework guidance.
69
However, it is found that interviewees may have different interpretations of the role
of homework counselor. Some may perform as more active homework counselors,
to set up rules and support students to finish homework. Some may perform as more
passive or inactive homework counselors, to answer students questions or even tell
them the model answer in textbook directly. The difference is made based on several
factors, such as the teaching environment, students performance and the tutors
ability and personality. In the extreme case that placed all after-school class students
in the canteen, tutors could only perform a passive role in the messy environment.
Sometimes, their role is shaped by students behavior. When tutors need to spend
more time and concentration on handling behavior problems, they will pay less
attention to supporting students. This will be explained more in the inspector
section.
5.2.3 Inspector
Unlike the roles above, the inspector role may not directly relate to the mode of
after-school class. This role relates more to students' motivation and performance. It
is found that tutors selected this role because they were frustrated with students'
behavior problems. Tutors who emphasized this role reflected that they needed to
spend more time or concentration on handling behavior problems. In Chris case
(case 4), she explained very clearly that her role was in-between the roles of
homework counselor and inspector, depending on her students performance.
However, we cannot simply say that the students performance is the only factor
affecting this role. In some cases, it was found that schools arrangement could be a
factor. Take Tweetys case (case 5) as an example: a school arranged a relatively long
after-school class, which was three hours per day, for students. Conducting long,
after-school classes is also a factor that forces tutors to perform as an inspector,
seeing as students are capable of finishing all of their homework within one and half
hours. Sometimes, tutors allowed students to read books or play games quietly, but
students might not always behave well as there was nothing to do. The second half
70
of the after-school was designed for taking care of children from dual career families,
according to tutors responses.
5.2.4 Big brother or sister / Babysitter

Fewer tutors selected these two words to describe their role in after-school classes.
For those interviewees who selected babysitter in the questionnaire (cases 3 and 8),
they taught junior grade primary students. It was found that interviewees
interpreting themselves as operating within these roles were all persons who
regularly took care of very young children within their duties. In fact, many tutors
reflected, both in the questionnaire and the interview, that they help parents take
care of their children after school and Prevent students staying at home alone in
this after-school program. A possible explanation is that the Chinese translation of
Babysitter () has a stronger meaning regarding taking care of children in early
childhood. Another possibility is that these roles may not be relevant to the aims of
the pilot scheme and tutors expectations.
In Chun and Wings case (case 1 and case 6), their close relationship with students is
the reason they perform like a big brother/sister in after-school classes. This can be
explained by their personalities, but the school factor should not be neglected. As
Wing explained, the small group setting that was decided by the school made her sit
close to the students, and this was one reason she could establish close relationships
with students.
5.2.5 Summary
This study examined the hypothesis that the role of tutor in the pilot scheme was
shaped by three major factors schools arrangements, student performance, and
tutor personalities. It is argued that the schools arrangement was the most
important factor in shaping tutors' roles in this after-school program. Under the
policy design, schools were able to determine the mode, scale, length and venue of
after-school classes. It was found that these factors are influential in shaping the role
of a tutor.
71
In fact, the mode of after-school class is the key factor that determines the teacher
role, the tutor role and homework counselor role, as they are all directly related to
the mode of after-school class. On the other hand, it is found that environmental
issues, including the scale and length of classes, as well as the venue, are also
influential in shaping the role of the tutor and the effectiveness of their monitoring
measures. A typical example of this can be seen in the scale of the class; some tutors
felt their classes had more than ten students and it was too big for an inexperienced
tutor. The overcrowded homework guidance class would affect their performance
and force them to become a passive tutor or homework counselor.
The teaching environment does affect students performance in after-school classes,

but it cannot explain the whole picture. Many interviewees reflected that they were
frustrated by students behavior problems. The reason for this was that many
students were not willing to attend the after-school classes, especially in homework
guidance class and Saturday class. This was because students might regard the
after-school class as additional burden rather than support for their academic
achievement. In fact, they may have been forced to attend after-school classes by
parents or teachers. Moreover, students who participated in this pilot scheme were
predominantly from low-income families, or were low-achievers in schools. Because
of the above reasons, students motivation to attend after-school classes could be a
factor that causes more behavior issues, shaping the role of the tutor as a result.
Lastly, tutors personalities could be a factor involved in shaping their role. Their
personality includes their character, passion for teaching, teaching skills and
experience. Due to the limitation of the research design, the study may not have
discovered enough data in this regard, especially in terms of character and teaching
style. However, it was found that some tutors were not adequately equipped to
manage this kind of after-school class when they started teaching this program.
Inexperienced tutors consistently emphasized the difficulties experienced in
classroom management, and as a result, they might have been more inclined to
perform as an inspector or passive homework counselor in after-school classes.
72
Diagram 5.7 Diagrammatic Representation of different roles of tutor and the

influencing factors
Diagram 5.7 shows the relationship of different roles of tutor and their influencing
factors. The solid line represents a logical relationship between different roles, and
the dotted line represents a possible relationship that cannot be examined in this
study. In fact, the diagram represents the majority of the cases in this study, but
cannot represent all cases. For example, Chun in case 1 originally saw his role based
on how students referred to him. This example tells us that tutors may have different
considerations in the way they see their roles, instead of concentrating on their work
and duties only.
5.3 Power Relations Analysis

This subsection focuses on the power relations between schools and tutors in the
pilot scheme, based on Foucaults understanding of power. Foucault (1983, p.222)
suggested that the researcher analyze institutions from the standpoint of power
relations, rather than explain the power relation through an institutional point of
view, as this would explain power by means of power. In this sense, the policy
regulation is the means by which schools exercise power in the relationship, instead
of being the reason behind the power relation. The analysis follows three aspects as
73
mentioned below, including the differentiations between schools and tutors, the
types of objectives, and the means for bringing power relations into being.
5.3.1 Differentiation
The analysis of power, as Foucault (Dreyfus & Rabinow, 1983, p.185) emphasized,
should focus on the relationship between two parties, instead of identifying the most
powerful stakeholder in the relationship. The power relation between school and
tutor is non-egalitarian. Under the regulation of the pilot scheme, schools are
responsible for decisions made regarding the practice of the after-school program.
This includes the recruitment and management of tutors, deciding the venue of
after-school classes, and of course, the content of these classes. It is no doubt that
schools are dominant in the power relation, in a similar way to the guards in Mettray
prison, who had undeniable advantages in their arrangements (Dreyfus & Rabinow,
1983, p.186). However, domination is not the essence of power. The point of this
consideration is to illustrate that all groups of people or institutions are involved in
these unequal relations of power.
The differentiation between schools and tutors is not only determined by the
regulations. Other than that, tutors are usually unfamiliar with school contexts and
students. This understanding of school context as a kind of knowledge, forces tutors
to rely on school teachers to make any arrangements regarding the after-school
program. However, it does not simply mean that tutors are powerless in the
relationship. As the executor in the classroom, tutors may practice their own
interpretation of their task. The mixed-mode classes are a typical example where
schools suggest that tutors do both subject teaching and homework guidance in
those classes. However, tutors have resisted to do so. Even in homework guidance
classes, tutors have had different expectations and interpretations on their role and
they have acted according to their interpretation of their duties.
5.3.2 Objectives
74
There are different objectives between schools and tutors, school and school, or
even tutor and tutor. To classify the objectives in a simple way, there were two main
objectives of schools to design the after-school classes. The subject teaching class
seemed to want to improve their students understanding on subject knowledge, and
the homework guidance class intended to facilitate students finishing their
homework. There were different purposes of school influence in terms of the
after-school classes as well as the role of tutor. Tutors, as outsiders of schools, had
objectives that were usually different to those of schools. In this study, it was found
that the objectives of tutors were primarily to gain teaching experience and earn
money from this after-school program. Foucault sees discipline as acts through
controlling activities. Schools and tutors act through different strategies of power, in
order to regulate tutors' roles and actions.
5.2.3 Realization
It is important to be aware of the technology and strategies that bring power
relations into being. In this part, certain aspects are focused on reviewing the way in
which power is exercised in the after-school program, including the employment of
tutors, venues and timing of after-school classes and the monitoring measures
imposed by schools.
Employment and management of tutors

Tutors were employed by schools. It was found that tutors were hired
through an interview process, but that these processes were usually
different. Not all tutors remembered the interview process clearly, but it
can be seen as the means of power relations in some instances. In some
cases, the interview process was formal and serious, and influenced tutors
actions in after-school classes. Tweety (case 5) reported that a school
principal interviewed her for more than half an hour, a factor which made
her pay more attention to this particular school. In Carries case (case 2), a
school arranged a teaching assistant to manage the program and held a
debriefing meeting after every class.
75
Venue
The venue of after-school class can be regarded as a strategy for exercising
power. Normally, schools would arrange after-school classes in regular
classrooms, but the design may be slightly different. Some schools
arranged more than one group of students and a tutor in a classroom. This
arrangement examined the power relations of a network, where each of
the tutors were able to be observed by students, school teachers and other
tutors. We cannot neglect the special case that the school arranged the
after-school class in the canteen. In this example, all students and tutors
from different groups were observed by each other, and meanwhile, tutors
and students could observe school teachers in this venue.
Time and duration

Schools can decide the time and the duration of after-school classes. It is
found that some schools would arrange for the after-school classes to run
on Saturdays, especially for subject teaching class. In terms of the
after-school classes on weekdays, they were normally around half an hour
per session. Some schools were inclined to arrange more than one session
per day. The time management factor here can be regarded as a strategy
used by schools in order to exercise power over tutors. As argued in the
previous section, these kinds of arrangements do affect the tutors actions
in after-school classes. For example, students motivation would be lower
in the Saturday class. This affected not only student behavior, but also
tutors' mode of operation in after-school classes.
Monitoring
Many interviewees did not identify any monitoring or supervising
measures other than irregular lesson observation. Some tutors may have
regarded the observation as a kind of support to help tutors handle
students' behavior problems, rather than seeing it as of a form of
surveillance. Under Foucault's understanding on power relations, it can be
76
seen as a form of surveillance. This reinforces the idea that exposing the
individual (tutor) to a high degree of visibility will force the individual to
behave as if someone is permanently watching (Sergiu, 2010). Even if the
lesson observation is rare, it is enough to bring up a form of internalized
disciplinary practice, which in turn influences the tutors' actions during
after-school classes.
To sum up, in the analysis of power, it is obvious that schools play a dominant role in
the power relations between schools and tutors, as schools are responsible for
deciding the content, venue, time and employment status of tutors. Nevertheless, as
Foucault argues, domination is in fact a general structure of power (Foucault, 1983,
p.226), and it is only part of the power relation. The study of power relations should
focus on how groups or individuals exercise power in order to influence the actions
of others. It goes far beyond a simple identification of the oppressed and the
oppressor.
If we regard tutors' actions in after-school classes as the objective of power, schools

exercise this power through employment, and deciding the venue, time and
monitoring measure in order to influence tutors' roles in action, to achieve the main
goals of the after-school program. The roles of tutors are not unchangeable; rather,
tutors have been known to resist performing in the manner expected by schools,
especially when there has been some conflict. Tutors' roles and actions as the
consequences of power relation (including those involving students, but that is not a
concern of this study) are volatile and unstable. They are not to be regarded as an
unchangeable fact determined by schools or tutors. Power, as a productive factor in
Foucault's concept, is the force through which to shape and establish the tutors'
roles and actions in after-school classes.
77
Chapter 6. Conclusion
This research aimed to study the role of tutors in the After-School Learning Support
Partnership Scheme (the Pilot Scheme). The Pilot Scheme was a
government-funded tutoring program for Hong Kong primary students from an
economically disadvantaged background. It was an initiative that utilized the facilities
of local schools and institutions, and employed tutors from Teacher Education
Institutions, most of whom were studying a Bachelor of Education. Schools were
responsible for designing the board content and administration of their after-school
program, which led to a certain level of diversity amongst the tutorial classes from
one school to the next.
This study adopted a multiple-case study approach as the preferred method of

research. Data collected in this study includes thirty-five questionnaires. In addition
to the information obtained from the questionnaires, eight tutors were also invited
to participate in an informal interview, aimed at gaining some further insight into
tutors perceptions of their role within the after-school programs. Also, school
notices and policy documents were collected to further illustrate a general picture of
the operation of after-school classes.
Q1. What is the background of the tutors?
Tutors participating in this Pilot Scheme students studying teacher education

programs in tertiary Institutions. Tutors were studying a Bachelor of Education or a
Postgraduate Diploma in Education, and were at varying stages of their degree. Their
educational background included the most common subject majors of English
language, Chinese language, Mathematics and General Studies, although there were
some other majors amongst the group. This research invited tutors from HKIEd to
answer a questionnaire, and some participants were asked to further engage in the
project by agreeing to be interviewed.
78
Q2. Why do tutors join the Pilot Scheme?
In terms of the reasons for tutors choosing to participate in this research, there were
two main explanations given. For the majority of participants, there was great appeal
associated with the competitive salary offered by the programs. Being students, it
can be assumed that money would have been an attractive incentive, given the
limited options for employment available to those who do not yet have a
qualification. The second main reason given was that respondents were interested in
the opportunity to gain teaching experience, and this was no surprise, given that
they were tend to be school teacher after graduate from TEIs, hence they wanted to
gain more frontline experience to prepare their professional careers. For some of the
students, their participation was motivated by the opportunity to serve in a
grass-root community, meaning that they would be able to help children who were
less privileged than they were themselves. However, this study found that this reason
was consistently placed in a less important position compared to other reasons.
Q3. What are the roles of tutors in the tutorial classrooms?
The research then continued on to look at the roles tutors played within the
classrooms in which they taught. Tutors played different roles in the tutorial
classrooms, these roles fell into three major groups: the first group contained the
roles of 'teacher'. The second group contained the roles of 'tutor' and 'homework'
counselor. The third group contained the roles of 'inspector', 'big brother/sister' and
'baby-sitter'. It appeared that the first group of roles were more likely to be
associated with after-school classes that were focused on subject teaching, and the
second group were more likely to be associated with those focusing on homework
guidance. The third group were more likely to be associated with other factors, like
teaching environment, student motivation, etc.. However, this was not always the
case.
79
Q4. What forces determine their roles in the classroom?
As touched on in the above paragraph, a major influence on the tutors roles could
be found in the mode of the after-school class. Due to the more relaxed nature of
homework guidance, tutors in this type of program found themselves taking on more
relational roles in terms of the ways they interacted with the students. In subject
teaching classes, however, they took on a more regular schooling approach, possibly
due to the pressure to keep up with the school curriculum. In addition to being
influenced by the overall purpose of the after-school program, the roles of tutors
were also greatly impacted by a number of other factors. For example, one
significant factor that came up in almost all of the interviews was that of student
behavior. Sometimes triggered by either a lack of motivation or boredom, and tutors
were inexperienced to handle this in their early stages of teaching. Student behavior
problems had the potential to change the tutors role to one that was stricter,
leading many of the tutors to describe themselves as inspector rather than the
other, more relational roles they may have originally taken on. Other factors
influencing the tutors roles within the classroom were the physical space and
arrangement of classes in terms of who and how many were in the room, and how
supervision was arranged.
Q5. What are the power relationships among schools and tutors?
This exploration of the power relation between schools and tutors adapts Michel
Foucaults concept on power relation. The study of power relation is not focused on
identifying the oppressed and the oppressor, but how the power relations operate in
the context. In terms of the power relations between schools and tutors, there was
an obvious dominance of schools over the way tutors were expected to work. This
dominance was exercised in that schools dictated the frequency and duration of the
classes, as well as the mode of surveillance, tutor-student ratio and how the space
was used. However, the power play was not as simple as identifying the school as
possessing the power. The roles of tutors were not unchangeable; Rather, tutors may
have resisted performing in the way schools expected, when there was some conflict.
80
Tutors were able to exercise power due to a lack of supervision, and the power play
was evident in the tutors who chose to ignore suggestions given to them by teachers
in terms of the running of the class. Tutors also had some control over the lesson
planning in subject-specific classes.
Finally, the Pilot Scheme as a policy created in response of the trend of shadow
education, attempted to provide publicly-funded private tutoring services to children
in low-income families. The focus of this study was to understand the operation of
these after-school programs from the perspective of tutors. Further research and
discussion is needed to explore the operation of these programs, especially from the
perspectives of school administrators and parents. It would be worth studying the
considerations of schools in deciding the modes of after-school classes. More
focused qualitative studies on the schools involved would be useful in understanding
more specific information regarding their decision-making processes. Large-scale
quantitative studies on parents would be useful in order to understand the reasons
behind parents sending their children to these after-school programs. Also, beyond
the scope of the operation of these, studies that evaluate the effectiveness of
after-school programs would also provide an interesting insight, in terms of making a
contribution towards further improvement, and opening up the possibility of
transferring this kind of tutoring program into other contexts and situations.
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Appendix A
Consent Form and Information Sheet for PARTICIPANTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Education
16/01/2015
Publicly-funded Private Supplementary Tutoring: A Multiple Case Study of Hong Kongs
After-School Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme
Dear HKIEd students,

I am Ngan Kin Lun studying Master of Education at the University of Hong Kong. I will
conduct a research project with the above title. I would like to invite tutors of the After-School
Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme to participate. The research will explore the roles of
tutors in after-school classes and the factors shaping tutors roles.
If you agree to join this research project, you will be asked to respond to a questionnaire on
your background, reasons for joining the pilot scheme, roles in after-school classes and the teaching
context. Questionnaires will be sent to you, and it would take approximately 15 minutes. Please
complete the reply slip below to indicate whether you do decide to participate in this research. All the
data provided will be confidential and locked in a filing cabinet. All data will be deleted one year
after the dissertation grade has been approved. Participants will not be identified by name in any
report of the completed study. Coding instead of real names will be used throughout the research as
well as on the research report. Participation is entirely voluntary. It means that you can choose to
stop at any time without negative consequences.
If you have any questions about the research, please feel free to contact me (tel. 97003696), or
my supervisor, Prof. Mark Bray (tel. 22194194). If you want to know more about the rights as a
research participant, please contact the Human Research Ethics Committee for Non-Clinical
Faculties, the University of Hong Kong (2241-5267).
If you understand the contents described above and agree to participate in this research, please
sign below. Your help is very much appreciated.
Yours sincerely,
Ngan, Kin Lun

MEd in Comparative and Global Studies in Education and Development
The University of Hong Kong
87
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reply Slip
Name of Participant:
I ** will / will not participate in the research.
(** Please delete as appropriate.)
Signature:
Date:
88
Appendix B
Research Title: Publicly-funded Private Supplementary Tutoring: A Multiple Case Study of Hong
Kongs After-School Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme
Questionnaire on the roles of tutors in After-School Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme
Dear participants,
This study aims to understand how tutors view their roles and duties in the after-school classes
under the After-School Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme, and the factors shaping the
role of tutors in after-school classes. Your opinions will contribute greatly to this educational
research. Please answer the following questions based on your experience and feeling in the
after-school classes under the Pilot Scheme. Thank you very much!
Regards,
Ngan Kin Lun, Alan
Name: _________________
Phone no.:_____________
Email:__________________________
A. Background Information
Q1. Which programme and major subject are you studying in HKIEd?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q2. What year of study are you in? (Please the relevant box)
1
Q3. In addition to participating in this pilot scheme, do you have other tutoring or teaching
experience? (Please circle the ones that apply)
Yes / No (If yes, please explain)
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q4. Do you want to be a teacher after you graduate? (Please the relevant box)
Unlikely May not be
Likely Most likely
B. Reason(s) for joining the Pilot Scheme

Q5. How did you get to know about the Pilot Scheme? (Please the relevant box)
From Intranet/Email From promotion in campus From friend Other :_____________
89
Q6. When did you first joining the Pilot Scheme? (Please the relevant box)
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Q7. Why did you join the Pilot Scheme? Please review the choices below and indicate their
importance. (Please put them in order with 1 being your first consideration.)
Earn money
__________
Gain teaching experience
__________
Serve grass-root communities
__________
Other reason
__________
(Please Specify)__________________________
C. Roles of tutors and factors

Q8. How many school(s) did you teach in this Pilot Scheme? (Please the relevant box)
One school
Two schools Three schools
Four schools
Five schools or more
Q9. In your experience and perspective, what is your duty in after-school classes? (Please the
relevant box)
Always
Teaching specific subjects and content
(Please answer Q10 if you answer sometimes or always)
Sometimes
Never
Homework guidance
Enhancing high achiever
Remedial teaching for low achiever
Provide after school care service
Provide extracurricular activity
Other (Please Specify)

________________________________
Q10. Which subject(s) do you teach in after-school classes?

___________________________________________________________________________
90
Q11. Corresponding to Q9, how do you get to know your duty in after-school classes? (Please the
relevant box)
Assigned by schools
Personal feeling
Not applicable
Teaching specific subjects and content
Homework guidance
Enhancing high achiever
Remedial teaching for low achiever
Provide after school care service
Provide extracurricular activity
Other (Please Specify)
________________________________
Q12. What is/are your achievement(s) in the after school classes? (Please the relevant box)
A lot
Some
Not at all
Improve students academic achievement
Facilitate students to finish their homework
Improve students behavior problems
Motivate students learning attitude
Help parents take care of their children after school
Improve students social skill
Prevent students staying at home alone
Q13. In general, which of the following best describe your role in after-school classes? (Please fill in
your rank order in the spaces provided using the numbers 1 through 3, indicating the best three words)
Teacher
__________
Tutor
__________
Homework counselor
__________
Inspector
__________
91
Big brother / sister
__________
Baby-sitter
__________
Others
__________
(Please Specify)__________________________
D. Other information
Q14. In general, how long is each after-school class? (Please the relevant box)
Less than 30 minutes 30 to 60 minutes 61 to 90 minutes
More than 90 minutes
Q15. In general, how many students do you have in each after-school class? (Please the relevant
box)
Less than 6 students 6 to 10 students
11 to 14 students
15 students or more
Q16. What grades are your students in after-school classes? (Multiple selection, Please the relevant
box)
P.1
P.2
P.3
P.4
P.5
P.6
Q17. Do you teach independently or with partners in after-school classes? (Please circle the ones that
apply)
Independently / With partners / I have tried both

Q18. Do you teach after-school classes in following days? (Multiple selection, Please the relevant box)
Weekdays Saturdays Sundays
Q19. Which school districts do you work in? (Multiple selection, Please the relevant box)
District A
District B
District C
District D
District E
Tsuen Wan
Kwai Tsing
Islands (Tung
Chung, Tai O)
Kwun Tong
Tseung Kwan O
Wong Tai Sin
Hong Kong Island
(Eastern District
and Southern
Kowloon City
Yau Tsim Mong
Sham Shui Po
Tai Po
Shatin
North District
(Sheung Shui and
Fanling)
Yuen Long
Tuen Mun
District)
Q20. Do you think the pilot scheme is effective in order to help students with their studies?
Not at all effective Not very effective Somewhat effective Very effective
Not sure
92
Q21. Do you want to add anything about the pilot scheme?

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
93
Appendix C
(:97003696),
Mark Bray (: 22194194)
(2241-5267)
()
=============================================================
94
Appendix D
:
: _________________
:_____________
:__________________________
.
Q1.?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q2. ? ( )
1
Q3. ? ()
/ ()
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q4. ? ( )

.
Q5. ? ( )
:_____________
Q6. ? ( )

95
Q7. ? ? ?
? ? ( 1 .)
__________
__________
__________
__________ ()__________________________
.
Q8. ? ( )

Q9. ? ( )
( Q10)
() _________________________
Q10. ?
___________________________________________________________________________
Q11. Q9? ( )
96
() ________________________
Q12. ? ( )
Q13. , ? ( 1 3
)
Teacher
Tutor
Homework counselor
Inspector
__________
__________
__________
__________
Big brother or sister

Baby-sitter
Others()__________________________
__________
__________
__________
.
Q14. ? ( )
30 30 60 61 90 90
Q15. ? ( )
6
6 10
11 14
15
Q16. ? ( )

Q17. ? ()
97
/ /
Q18. ? ( )

Q19. ( )

()
(
)
()
Q20. ? ( )

/
Q21. ?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
98
Appendix E
Consent Form and Information Sheet for PARTICIPANTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Education
16/01/2015
Publicly-funded Private Supplementary Tutoring: A Multiple Case Study of Hong Kongs
After-School Learning Support Partnership Pilot Scheme
Dear HKIEd students,

I am Ngan Kin Lun studying Master of Education at the University of Hong Kong. I will conduct a
research project with the above title. I would like to invite tutors of After-School Learning Support
Partnership Pilot Scheme to participate. The research will explore the role of tutor in after-school
classes and the factors shaping tutors role.
If you agree to join this research project, you will be interviewed about your roles in
after-school classes and how they are shaped by different factors. The interview will last
approximately 30 minutes, it will take place in public area in HKIEd, e.g. Learning Common area.
Please complete the reply slip below to indicate whether you decide to participate in this research.
The interview will be audio taped, and you will only be interviewed once. You have the right to
review or/and delete your part in the audio tape. All information obtained will be used for research
purposes only and stored in my personal notebook computer with a password protected. All data
will be deleted one year after the dissertation grade has been approved. Participant will not be
identified by name in any report of the completed study. Coding, instead of real names, will be used
throughout the research as well as on the research report. Participation is entirely voluntary. It
means that you can choose to stop at any time without negative consequences.
If you have any questions about the research, please feel free to contact me (tel. 97003696), or my
supervisor, Prof. Mark Bray (tel. 22194194). If you want to know more about the rights as a research
participant, please contact the Human Research Ethics Committee for Non-Clinical Faculties, the
University of Hong Kong (2241-5267).
If you understand the contents described above and agree to participate in this research,
please sign below. Your help is very much appreciated.
Yours sincerely,
Ngan, Kin Lun

MEd in Comparative and Global Studies in Education and Development
The University of Hong Kong
99
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reply Slip
Name of Participant:
I
** will / will not participate in the research.
I ** agree / do not agree to the audio-recording during the procedure.

I ** wish / do not wish to be identified.
(** Please delete as appropriate.)
Signature:
Date:
100
Appendix F
Interview Questions
A. Roles of tutors
01. What did you do specifically in after-school class?
02. Why do you think ____________, ____________ and _____________ (answer of Q13) are
suitable to describe your role in after-school classes?
03. Did your role in after-school class change from time to time? If you have related experience,
please explain.
04. Is your role in after-school classes diverse in different schools? If yes, from your point of view,
why is it so?
05. When you have to teach specific subject and content (e.g. Chinese Language, English Language,
Mathematics, etc.) in after-school class, does anyone provide teaching materials (i.e. textbooks,
exercises, worksheet, etc.) to you? If yes, who? If no, where did those materials come from?
B. Factors shaping the role of tutor
06. Did school administrators (including principal and school teachers) assign any task to you?
What did they say? What do think you about this?
07. Did school(s) measure or monitor your performance in after-school class? What kind of
method did they use?
08. What was the learning attitude of the students in after-school classes? Are they responsive in
class?
09. Do you think students performance affects your role in after-school classes? Why?
10. Do you think the teaching context, including grade of students, number of students, diversity
of students and duration of after-school classes, affects your role in after-school classes? Why?
11. In addition to school arrangement and student performance, is there any other factor affecting
your role in after-school classes?
12. Are you satisfied with your roles in after-school classes? Why?
13. Had you ever tried to change your roles in after-school classes? If yes, what did you do?
14. Do you have any other comments about your roles in after-school class?
C. Other opinion
15. What do you find as satisfactory or rewarding to you in this pilot scheme?
16. Do you thing the salary is reasonable? Why or why not?
17. In your experience, what is the greatest benefit for primary school students in this pilot
scheme?
18. What are your personal feelings about this pilot scheme?
101
Appendix G
()
(:97003696),
Mark Bray (: 22194194)
(2241-5267)
()
=============================================================
** / /
** /
(** )
102
Appendix H
.
01. ?
02. ______________________________________(Q13 )
03. ?
04. ?
05.
.
06. () ? ?
07.
08.
09.
10.
11. ?
12. ? ?
13. ? ?
14. ?
.
15.
16.
17.
18.
103

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Title

Publicly-funded private supplementary tutoring : a multiple-case

Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License

Publicly-funded Private Supplementary Tutoring: A Multiple-case Study of

Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of

supplementary tutoring was regarded to be outside of the Education Departments

a) Safety: e.g. building and fire safety provisions, number of students in a

b) Teachers qualifications: i.e. teachers have to meet prescribed qualifications

c) Sanitation: e.g. ventilation and meal provisions; and

1.2 Implications of Private Supplementary Tutoring

Improving students academic achievement is one of the major goals of private

Moreover, the dual-career family is a very common phenomenon in some developed

1.3 Background of the After-School Learning Support Partnership

To identify primary schools with a higher concentration of economically

1.4 Rationale for the Research

3. Addition to mainstream schooling:

The Pilot Scheme is a publicly-funded shadow education program. The idea of a

1.5 Research Questions

The following research questions will be investigated:

1. What is the background of the tutors?

Chapter 2. Conceptual Framework

2.1 Types of Tutoring and Different Roles of Tutor

Enrichment programs provide children with the opportunity to explore and

A survey conducted by the Society for Community Organization (2013) covered 82

2.2 The Concept of Power Relations

Foucaults view of power was summarized in some important points, as follows

1. The system of differentiations

2. The types of objectives

3. The means of bringing power relations into being

5. The degrees of rationalization

3.1 Multiple-case Study

Diagram 3.1 Diagrammatic Representation of a multiple-case comparative study

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment of

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment organized by

Is the case relevant to the object, phenomenon or condition to be studied

Do the cases provide diversity across contexts?

Do the cases provide good opportunity to learn about complexity and

3.2 Analytical Framework

tutor may be more likely to be an inspector or motivator. To summarize, this

factors as the major force of shaping a tutor's role

3.3 Research Design

Category A: those who see themselves as being more than a homework

Category B: those who see themselves as a homework counselor. Their

Category C: those who understand they have to teach or guide students

All one-to-one interviews were semi-structured and conducted in Cantonese. The

The backgrounds of interviewees are listed in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1 List of categories of interviewees

3.3.4 Pilot Test

In addition to this, tutors may have developed different understandings on the

4.1 Background of Tutors

In this study, 35 questionnaires were collected. All respondents were current

Table 4.1 Questionnaire Respondents by Year of Study

Table 4.2 Questionnaire Respondents by Major of Study

4.2 Reasons for Becoming Tutors in this Scheme

In fact, the Pilot Scheme offered an attractive allowance to student-tutors. They

4.3 Types of Tutoring and Roles of Tutors

School can then make school-based decisions on the arrangement of

students in light of individual differences).

Homework Guidance model: This type of after-school class is typically held on

Subject teaching model: Some schools require student-tutors to teach specific

Mathematics, but sometimes also Chinese Language for low-achieving students.

According to interviewees, schools may require tutors to help students prepare

4.4 Case Study