Three Decades of Shadow Education in Malaysia: The Changing Landscape of Private Supplementary Tutoring

ABSTRACT Global research on shadow education has gained significant attention over the past three decades. The term was coined in a 1991 research project report in Malaysia, but, despite expanded global research, little follow‐up research was conducted in that country. Drawing on a comparative analysis of senior secondary students surveyed in 2022 ( n = 3568) against 1991 baseline data, this study highlights evolving patterns in shadow education participation in Malaysia, including the influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic. While the percentage of students engaging in shadow education shown by the 2022 data had fallen, possibly due to COVID‐19 pandemic‐related measures, the durations of the engagement of those with shadow education had greatly increased. The shadow education sector in Malaysia has become more commercialised and better organised. The study concludes that shadow education will likely remain a feature of the Malaysian landscape for the foreseeable future.