ABSTRACT
In recognizing the importance of education for economic and social development, policy makers have long focused their interest and effort on such mainstream institutions as kindergartens, schools and universities. Furthermore, as Bray and Lykins (2012) have pointed out, as the content of mainstream education changes so does the content of the shadow, and as the mainstream grows, so also does the shadow. While shadow education is to be found in many parts of the world, it has grown at a great rate in Asia in recent decades. The findings of research on whether shadow education delivers higher academic grades is mixed, with much depending on both the motivations and abilities of the students and the motivations and abilities of the tutors. A major problem with the shadow education system in South Korea is that it is extremely expensive and not every family can afford it.
