The heterogeneous effects of extracurricular tutoring on academic performance and cognitive ability among Chinese junior high school students

This study investigates the heterogeneous effects of extracurricular tutoring on junior high school students' academic outcomes using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS). We employ Propensity Score Matching Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) and Heterogeneous Treatment Effects (HTE) analyses to examine impacts on academic performance and cognitive ability across diverse student populations. Our findings reveal that extracurricular tutoring significantly enhances academic performance, with substantially greater benefits observed among disadvantaged groups, including students from low- and middle-income families, those whose parents hold lower socioeconomic status occupations, students enrolled in low- and middle-tier schools, and rural residents. Particularly noteworthy is that students with lower propensity for tutoring participation demonstrate greater academic gains when they do engage in tutoring. Conversely, we observe no statistically significant improvements in cognitive ability across any demographic subgroup. These results indicate that while extracurricular tutoring can effectively reduce academic achievement disparities among disadvantaged students, its limited capacity to enhance cognitive development constrains its potential as a comprehensive remedy for educational inequality. Consequently, educational policy initiatives should prioritize enhancing the quality of mainstream educational institutions and strengthening family-based educational support systems to address the multifaceted nature of educational disadvantage.