This document summarizes a research paper on cram schools in Taiwan. The research aimed to investigate the effect of cram schooling on student performance and examine who attends cram schools. Data showed that 72% of junior high students attend academic cram schools for an average of 6.24 hours per week. Students who attended cram schools saw a 6.3-6.7% increase in test scores. The research also found that children from all family backgrounds attend cram schools, not just higher-income families.

1. Does cram schooling matter?
Who goes to cram schools?
Evidence from Taiwan
Instructor: Teresa Tsu
Presenter: Ula Huang
Date: 2014/10/20
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2. 2
Citation
 Jeng Liu，Does cram schooing matter? Who goes to
cram schools? Evidence from Taiwan，International
Journal of Educational Development; v32 p46-52 2012

3. 3
Content
Introduction
Literature review
Data and method
Empirical results
Conclusion and discussion
Reflection

4. 4
Introduction
Background
Purpose of Research
Research Question

5. 5
Background
What is cram school?
provide supplementary
test-preparation
raise student performance

6. Purpose of Research
To investigate the effect of cram schooling
on students’ academic performance
To test whether the opportunity of cram
school participation reflect specific
patterns of stratification.
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7. Research Question
Why have Taiwan’s cram schools developed
as they have?
Do cram schools help in the academic
improvement of school children?
Whose children go to cram schools?
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8. Literature Review
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The Taiwanese setting
9 Year National Compulsory Education
was approved in 1968

9. Literature Review
The current popularity and diversification
of Taiwan’s cram schools can be attributed
to two prevalent arguments.
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10. Literature Review
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Population change

11. Literature Review
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Educational reform

12. Literature Review
Deep rooted credentialism and academic
cram school
 all pursuits except studying are of little value
(Wang and Lin,1998;Tam and Hsu,2002 )
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13. Literature Review
Deep rooted credentialism and academic
cram school
 educational background is the most important
standard in evaluating a person’s social level
(Hwang,1994;Chang,1996 )
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14. Literature Review
The transfer and accumulation of cultural
capital via non academic cram schools
 Cultural capital (Bourdieu,1984;Bourdieu and Passeron, 1977)
 Higher educational level of parents want their
children to attend artistic or other non-academic
cram schools
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15. Data and methods
Data collected
 70% random sample in the Taiwan Education
Panel Survey of 2001 (TEPS hereafter)
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16. Data and methods
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Participants
 7th grade students

17. Empirical results
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Basic statistics
72% of junior high school students attend academic cram school
6.24h per week

18. Empirical results
Does cram schooling enhance learning
performance?
 General score increases 6.3%
 Math score increases 6.7%
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19. Empirical results
Who goes to academic cram school?
 the effects of family background on students’ cram
school participation are not critical.
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20. Conclusion and discussion
Finding
Educational expectations keep on rising
Cram schools do help in the academic
improvement of schoolchildren.
Children from all kinds of families go to cram
schools.
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21. Conclusion and discussion
Suggestions for further research
Doesn’t address the fact that higher income
families might use different methods to ensure
their children do well in school.
The issue related to the supply side of cram
schools should be studied in the future.
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Reflection
To be a teacher, do not effect by cultural
capital.
To be parents, do not ignore the feeling of
children when you try to “help” them perform
well in school.