Abstract
The intensity of the academic research of private tutoring as a shadow education system in Europe is growing in the last decade, but the quality of research outputs as well as their anchorage in broader theoretical concepts vary significantly. This complex phenomenon may also be viewed from different standpoints of various social sciences.
The aim of the study is to 1) identify and review papers researching shadow education from various social sciences standpoints, 2) in sociological papers identify theories and concepts used in private tutoring research and evaluate their extent to the interpretation of conclusions or hypothesis formulation. The author analysed 63 peer-reviewed papers in English, French, German and Polish.
In the sample were papers dealing with private tutoring phenomenon from the point of view of economy, history and psycholog y, and to a greater extent sociolog y of education. Only a minority of papers were explicitly based on theoretical concepts.
On the other hand, these theoretical concepts are usually functionally used to formulate hypotheses and interpret the conclusions. The author also identified papers which apply modified Bronfenbrenner's conceptual Framework seeking a holistic and multidisciplinary approach.