Conclusion
Overall findings of our research:
Tutorial schools have become a big part of Hong Kong students' school life. Whether this is a good trend or not, there are several points we need to think about as there must be advantages and disadvantages of attending tutorial schools. Here we have come up with a few pros and cons of going to tutorial schools and private tutors:
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| extra notes | bad time management; may not finish homework given by school |
| simplification of text books | costly to attend, some students may not be able to afford |
| answers of past papers | teachers may not have time to take care of every student, so students may not be taught according to their abilities and in the end may not be able to learn anything |
| students can get the most useful information from the notes exclusing those rarely used in examinations so as to save time for exams | because of the exam-oriented atmosphere, we cannot develop discipline and team spirit, and there is minimum interaction among students |
| more opportunities to practice exercises and past papers | students may put too much emphasis on exams and neglet their interests and friends |
| students can do exercises in the classes and answers will be checked immediately afterwards - convenient for students who do not have enough time but would like to practice for exams | teenagers should take part in a wide range of activities to stimulate them both mentally and physically. spending long hours in a tutorial centre is not the best way to do this |
| useful tactics for tests and exams | |
| get information missed in school | |
| learning efficiency is much higher in tutorial schools because they don't spend and time on non-exam subjects |
So, would you rather have excellent results in tests and exams, or would you rather have a good social life? It's your choice!
If schools were doing a good job, tutorial schools and private tutors wouldn't be able to survive.