This study examines the differences in effects of private tutoring and parenting
behaviors on children's academic achievement between low- and high-income groups
in Korea, using data from the Korean Welfare Panel Study. The results show that
parenting behaviors have a significant positive effect on academic achievement for
both income groups. However, we find different patterns of private tutoring across
income groups. Private tutoring expenditures have a significant positive effect on
academic achievement for the low-income group, but only a marginal effect for the
high-income group. The findings imply that the value of financial investment in
private tutoring is somewhat doubtful, especially for high-income groups. However,
the results indicate that parenting behaviors are more important for children's
academic achievement. Our results show that the effect of parenting behaviors on
children's academic achievement is greater than that of private tutoring expenditures