Private Tutoring as a Relief or Burden? Changes in Parental Beliefs About Young Children's English Learning in China

The increasing trend of early English education has promoted the rapid growth of English private tutoring (EPT) for children, which garners attention in research as a global educational phenomenon. In China, EPT for children experienced a fervent expansion under neoliberalism. However, a recent policy (Double-Reduction Policy) has banned EPT for preschoolers (age 3-6), creating a unique context where state-led neoliberalism prevails. This study employs narrative inquiry to investigate the changes in beliefs about young children's English learning among three Chinese parents who enrolled their children in EPT. Data were gleaned through interviews, observations, informal conversations, and collection of parent-recorded videos and artifacts over a year of fieldwork. The findings reveal that parents hold contradictory beliefs at different times, and the belief changes were interacted inextricably with the tensions experienced by these parents, including pressure from EPT and challenges from the policy. EPT was initially perceived as relief but eventually became burdensome. This study sheds light on the dynamic and intricate nature of parental beliefs, as well as the tensions arising from the interplay between neoliberalism and policy shifts in China. The findings have implications for parents, TESOL practitioners, and policymakers who involved in English education decisions for young children.