A qualitative comparative study on the practical and philosophical underpinnings of holistic education of mainstream schools, tutorial centres and private tutorials of the primary level in Hong Kong

This paper aims to analyse the pedagogical and philosophical practices of mainstream schools, tutorial centres and private tutorials by providing a comparison of their alignments to holistic education. The research will delve into the three institutions’ practical pedagogies and philosophy of education to better illustrate how it brings forth holistic education in primary students in Hong Kong. As private tuition has gotten more popular over the years, it is vital to understand the rationale behind the phenomenon and allow educators to make corresponding changes for future learners. Open-ended interviews were done with participants to allow flexibility in answers, which may contribute significantly to the study. Holistic education is found to be present in mainstream schools since they have a higher focus on personal growth, as shown in their curriculum practice, whereas tutorial centres and private tutorials stress on academic excellence, rather than holistic growth of students. This paper studies the three institutions’ values and how they cultivate learning in their respective educational environment.