It was suggested that within the framework of the individual educational strategy implementation an applicant (and / or his parents) responsibly searched for a private teacher and, as a result, chose the most optimal option. It can be assumed that the economic and geographical factor will be one of the conditions that can affect the choice of an individual educational strategy, as well as the inclusion of a tutor in the process of preparing for the USE and entering the university. Applicants from Moscow, the Moscow region and large Russian megacities may have initially better starting positions compared to high school students living in ordinary, not large Russian cities, regional centres, urban-type settlements and villages.
The analysis of questionnaires showed that among the 159 surveyed first – year students, 73 are graduates of Moscow schools, five are graduates of secondary schools from other Russian cities, 67 students received secondary education in regional centres or in other cities of the Russian Federation, another 8 people were students of schools in urban settlements or villages, and six students received secondary education abroad.
It should be noted that the small number of students from other Russian cities, most likely can be explained by the fact that school graduates from megacities often prefer to enter local medical schools, and not to go to study in Moscow. At the same time for school graduates from regional centres and other small cities of the Russian Federation, admission to a Moscow university is a significant (sometimes determining) step in the implementation of an individual educational strategy. Therefore, their number is almost equal to the number of graduates of Moscow schools. Classes with a tutor in biology are, in fact, a prerequisite for preparation for the USE and university admission and, therefore, an important element of the IES.
120 of the 159 surveyed students (75.5%) at least once used the services of a tutor. 27 students (22.5%) worked with a tutor for two years (10–11 grades), and 61 applicants (50.8%) were constantly engaged with a private teacher in a graduation class. 39 entrants (24.5%) did not study with a tutor (Table 1, Fig. 1).
Table 1
Private lessons with a tutor
| Moscow school | School in another megapolis | Regional center / other town of the Russian Federation | School in the urban-type settlement/ village/ hamlet | Secondary education outside the Russian Federation |
Tutor. 10–11 grades. | 9 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 1 |
Tutor. 11 grade. | 30 | 4 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
Tutor. 11 grade. Irregularly. | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Tutor. 11 grade. Regularly. Half of a year. | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Tutor. Several lessons. | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
No tutor. | 15 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 3 |
Σ = 159; P = 0.002; µ = 5.3; SE = 1.39; σ = 7.66 |
[Table 1 here]
[Figure 1 here]
Regular classes in the eleventh (final) class throughout the school year were the most common (popular) option of interaction with a tutor. Apparently, classes with a tutor in the profile subject throughout the school year in the final class, from the point of view of applicants (and / or their parents), is the most optimal form of preparation for the exam. However, using the results of the exam as the main criterion for assessing the effectiveness of the tutor, the following correlation was found (Table 2).
Table 2
The dependence of the exam results on the duration of classes with a tutor (the most important pairs)
Private lessons with a tutor | Correlation value (r) |
11 grade; six months – 11 grade; regular classes | 0.971 |
11 grade; six months – 10–11 grades; regular classes | 0.956 |
11 grade; regular classes – 10–11 grades; regular classes | 0.932 |
No tutor Several lessons with a tutor | 0.462 |
[Table 2 here]
It should be noted that the results of correlation analysis largely coincide with clustering (Fig. 2).
[Figure 2 here]
Basing on the obtained results it can be assumed that with proper intensity and organization of the preparation process regular semi-annual classes with a tutor are not less effective than classes with a tutor during the whole academic year in 11th grade.
A summary of the USE results and options for classes with a tutor are presented in Table 3 and in Fig. 3.
Table 3
Duration of classes with a tutor and exam results
| 1 – Tutor. 10–11 grades. | Tutor. 11 grade. Regularly. | Tutor. 11 grade. Irregularly. | Tutor. 11 grade. Half of a year. | Tutor. Several lessons. | No tutor |
Below 60 points. | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
60–70 points. | 7 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
70–85 points. | 13 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 16 |
85–100 points. | 7 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
100 points (Olympiad). | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Σ = 159; P = 0.01; µ = 5.3; SE = 1.15; σ = 6.33 |
[Table 3 here]
[Figure 3 here]
Graduates of the resource centre “Sechenov Pre-University”, medical classes in Moscow schools, working in the framework of the Pre-University program, as well as students from academic classes, teaching in which is carried out according to specially developed programs enter I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. Moreover, the University enrols students who studied in classes with a different (not biological) specialization or who studied in ordinary secondary school.
As shown by the survey, regardless of which class the applicant was in, the classes with a tutor turned out to be preferable for the overwhelming majority. 120 respondents of the 159(0.75) somehow used the services of a tutor, and 39 (0.25) did not work with a tutor. These data confirm our assumption that tutoring plays an important role in the individual educational strategy. In addition, it can be assumed that students choose individual classes, regardless of the class specialization they study in (up to the RC “Moscow Pre-University”) because the tutor: a) is able to provide additional knowledge and teach material that goes beyond the school curriculum and b) tutoring is a kind of “insurance” even in the case of training in a specialized academic class or in the Pre-University (Table 4).
Table 4
Private lessons with a tutor. Different class specializations
| Moscow preuniversity / medical class in Moscow school | Academic biological class | The class of other specialization / class without specialization |
Studied with a tutor | 25 | 37 | 58 |
Was not engaged with a tutor | 8 | 18 | 13 |
Σ = 159; P = 0.6; µ = 26.5; SE = 7.5; σ = 18.4; r = 0.36 |
[Table 4 here]
The ratio between students who studied with a tutor and those who did not use the services of private teachers, regarding class specialization is as follows:
– Sechenov Pre-university / Moscow medical class – 25:8 (3.13)
– Academic class – 37:18 (2.06)
– Class without profile orientation – 58:13 (4.7)
At the same time, the analysis of the average exam results of graduates of classes with different specialization did not reveal significant differences. The average score (on a five-point scale) in all three cases was about 3 (from 2.8 to 3.2). Thus, graduates of the Sechenov Pre-University (Moscow medical class) showed an average score 3.2. Graduates of academic biological classes, as well as graduates of academic classes of other specialization and non-specialized classes showed the same average score – 2.8.
The system of calculating the average score was as follows:
1 point – USE results below 60 points,
2 points – USE 60–70 points,
3 points – USE 70–85 points,
4 points – USE 85–100 points,
5 points – the winner of the Olympiad (100 + points).
The data are shown in the Fig. 4.
[Figure 4 here]
It is worth noting that a certain (though a small) shift towards higher scores on the Unified State Exam (3.2 to 2.8) among graduates of the Sechenov pre-university or medical classes working in the pre-university program with respect to graduates of academic biological classes (classes with a different specialization / without specialization) is confirmed by the trend lines in the diagram.
There is a particular interest in the results of USE applicants who, in implementing their individual educational strategies, did not use the services of a tutor. Among the respondents, 39 of first-year students (24.5%) were not engaged with a tutor. Summarized data on the results of the unified state examination are presented in the Table 5.
Table 5
Exam results in biology (without the help of a tutor)
| Less than 60 points | 60–70 points | 70–85 points | 85–100 points |
Pre-University / medical class | 0 | 1 (0.125) | 3 (0.375) | 4 (0.5) |
Academic class / class without specialization | 3 (0.1) | 4 (0.13) | 13 (0.42) | 11 (0.35) |
Σ = 39; P = 0.5; µ = 4.9; SE = 1.6; σ = 4.6. |
[Table 5 here]
In this case the correlation value is significant: r = 0.914. Taking into account P = 0.5, it can be assumed that regardless of the class in which the applicant studied, he\she is able to successfully pass the USE and enter the University without using the services of private teachers.
However, a generalized analysis of the effectiveness of the Unified State Exam among applicants who studied with a tutor and among those who chose not to use private lessons in the implementation of an individual educational strategy gave an obvious negative correlation: r = − 0.149. Obviously, in case of equal conditions, classes with a tutor give a positive result in any case and regardless of the level of specialization of the class and curriculum.
The analysis of the generalized results showed that during the preparation for entering the university the most common IES of high-schoolers who became first-year students of the I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University were, respectively:
– Classes with a tutor during 11 grade + training in the class of another (not medical or chemical-biological) profile – 19 people.
– Classes with a tutor during 11 grade + training in the class without any profile – 16 people.
– Classes with a tutor during 11 grade + training in a class with a chemical biological / academic profile – 16 people.
– Training in a class with a chemical-biological / academic profile without the involvement of a tutor – 18 people.
In total, 10 individual educational strategies were identified. For each strategy the average score of the exam was calculated, it is presented in Table 6.
Table 6
The average score on the exam for each type of IES
Individual educational strategy | Number of students | Average exam score |
1. Sechenov pre-University (medical class in Moscow school) / tutor for 1 year | 11 | 70–85 |
2. Class without profile/ tutor for 1 year | 16 | 60–70 |
3. Academic (chemical-biological class) / tutor for 1 year | 16 | 70–85 |
4. Other profile class / tutor for 1 year | 19 | 70–85 |
5. Class without profile / without a tutor | 5 | 70–85 |
6. Sechenov pre-University (medical class in Moscow school) / without a tutor | 8 | 70–85 |
7. Other profile class / without a tutor | 9 | 70–85 |
8. Academic (chemical-biological) class / without a tutor | 18 | 70–85 |
9. Classes with a tutor for 2 years | 26 | 70–85 |
10. Classes for half a year / irregular classes / several lessons | 31 | 60–70 |
[Table 6 here]
The last two educational strategies were deliberately not divided into smaller ones (basing on the profile of the class), as we considered it necessary to compare the effectiveness of classes with a tutor basing on their duration: 2 years (10–11 grades), 1 year (11 grade), as well as irregular / single / semi-annual classes.
The results of the cluster analysis of the generalized data are presented below (Fig. 5).
[Figure 5 here]