English has become the global language of international communication as a result of the political, economic, and cultural influence of English-speaking countries, and it plays an important role in both professional and personal life. As many pupils experience difficulties learning English as a foreign language, many parents opt for private English tutoring as a form of paid supplementary support outside regular classes. In many countries, private English tutoring is a widespread phenomenon and has been extensively researched. However, it remains relatively under-researched in the context of Slovenian primary education. Therefore, the aim of this master's thesis was to provide insight into the prevalence, reasons for participation in, and effectiveness of private English tutoring. In the empirical part of the master's thesis, a quantitative research approach was used to examine how frequently primary school pupils attend private English tutoring, the main reasons for attending or not attending such tutoring, the role of socio-demographic factors such as parents' educational attainment and their perceived financial circumstances, as well as parents' perceptions of the effectiveness of private tutoring and of collaboration among parents, teachers, and tutors. The study also examined the most common forms of private tutoring, the main types of tutoring providers, and the language skills most frequently practised during tutoring sessions. Data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 405 parents of pupils in grades 1–9 of Slovenian primary schools. The results show that private English tutoring is more common among pupils in higher grades, with individual face-to-face tutoring being the most common form and English teachers being the most frequent providers. Parents most often reported choosing tutoring because their children had difficulties understanding grammar, needed additional support in preparing for assessments, or wanted to improve their confidence in using English. The study found no statistically significant association between participation in private English tutoring and parents' educational attainment or perceived financial circumstances. Parents perceive individual tutoring as more effective than group tutoring, while also reporting a lack of sufficient collaboration between teachers and tutors. Private tutoring also raises broader questions about the effectiveness of the school system, equitable access to supplementary educational support, and the quality of tutoring services. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the prevalence, characteristics, and role of private English tutoring among Slovenian primary school pupils. They may serve as a basis for further research in this area and prompt further reflection on how collaboration among parents, teachers, and tutors could be improved.
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