Piotr Długosz

University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland,

pdlugosz@ur.edu.pl

PRIVATE LESSONS

AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR MIDDLE CLASS STATUS STRUGGLE IN POST- SOCIALIST SOCIETIES: POLAND AND UKRAINE CASE STUDIES

Abstract.The aim of  the article is to present the results of the research on taking private lessons among Polish and Ukrainian youth. The research was conducted in Polish-Ukrainian borderlands among upper secondary school  graduates,  with  the  use   of   survey   method. 717 respondents were Polish, whereas 584 were Ukrainian. The results of research show that 62% of Polish students were taking private lessons, while in the Ukraine the number was 69%. Private lessons were taken especially by the students whose parents were educated, had higher positions at work and overall better economic background. The respondents taking private lessons had higher level of cultural capital measured by the number of books, better school achievements and high educational aspirations. The main purpose of taking private lessons was to increase the potential maturity exam results and to have further more chances of entering a prestigious university. The research reveals that the main adaptation strategy of the middle class confronting educational inflation and the risk of declassing is increasing educational expenditures. Eventually, such actions lead to further widening of education gap.

Received: November, 2015

1st Revision: October, 2015

Accepted: December, 2015

DOI: 10.14254/2071- 789X.2016/9-1/12

JEL Classification: I21, I24, J24

Keywords: educational sociology, private tutoring, adaptation strategies, middle class, survey, Polish, Ukrainian.