Shadow Education in Denmark - In the Light of the Danish History of Pedagogy and the Skepticism Toward Competition

Oct 15, 2026

This article investigates the role of private supplementary tutoring in Denmark through the lens of national pedagogical traditions and broader skepticism toward competition. While tutoring is expanding internationally, it remains less prevalent in Denmark. The analysis draws on research on parental values in child-rearing and on evidence from a pilot study of Danish families purchasing tutoring, along with public debate and contemporary youth research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

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Shadow Education in Denmark: In the Light of the Danish History of Pedagogy and the Skepticism Toward Competition Sidse Hølvig Mikkelsen and David Thore Gravesen VIA University College ECNU Review of Education 2021, Vol. 4(3) 546–565 ª The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/2096531120983335](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120983335)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120983335)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This article investigates the role of private supplementary tutoring in Denmark in light of the country’s pedagogical traditions in schools and leisure spheres. Design/Approach/Methods: Although tutoring activities are increasing, the phenomenon is not as prevalent in Denmark as in many other countries. In this article, we look into the history of Danish pedagogy for answers as to why this is the case. In the analytical sections of the article, we include research on parental values of child-rearing, as well as findings from a pilot study on Danish families purchasing private supplementary tutoring, the public debate about private tutoring, and contemporary youth research. Findings: With a solid emphasis on democracy and equality in Danish pedagogy, the conditions for increasing private supplementary tutoring in Denmark have been challenged. However, a current focus on global competition, formal competencies, and higher academic performance among children and young people suggests that providers of private tutoring perhaps face a brighter future—also in Denmark. Originality/Value: This article addresses a new field of qualitative research on private supplementary tutoring in Denmark and may be a platform for further reflection and empirical research. Corresponding author: Sidse Hølvig Mikkelsen, Research Centre for Pedagogy and Education, VIA University College, Ceresbyen 24, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark. Email: [sihm@via.dk](sihm@via.dk) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Keywords Denmark, parents’ values, performance culture, private supplementary tutoring, shadow education Date received: 16 January 2020; accepted: 25 November 2020 Introduction In this article, we look at the role of private supplementary tutoring, in research also often termed shadow education, in the Danish welfare society. Internationally, shadow education has experienced great expansion, not least in Asia, but also in Africa, North America, and other Western societies (Bray, 2013, 2021; Bray & Kwo, 2014) . In Scandinavia, and particularly in Denmark, the trend of shadow education has been less pronounced. Although private supplementary tutoring is now a growing business, the proportion of students using such services is still fairly small in comparison with other countries (S. Christensen & Williams Ørberg, 2015; Engholm, 2013) . Nevertheless, with the present rise in private tutoring activities, we consider it important to question and discuss the phenomenon in Denmark, and to do so, we turn to the country’s history of pedagogy. To look at new phenomena in the light of history and tradition can be a fruitful exercise, and as we move ahead, we hope to prove just that. In Denmark, the history of school pedagogy is flanked by a history of leisure time pedagogy, and shadow education in the Danish society—the way it is designed and functioning—is reliant on both of these tr

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the article on shadow education in Denmark?

The article investigates the role of private supplementary tutoring in Denmark by relating it to Danish pedagogical traditions and attitudes toward competition.

Why is private supplementary tutoring less prevalent in Denmark than in many other countries?

The article looks to the history of Danish pedagogy for explanations, emphasizing democracy and equality and the conditions that challenge tutoring expansion.

What sources of evidence does the study use to analyze private tutoring in Denmark?

It combines research on parental values, findings from a pilot study of families purchasing tutoring, public debate, and contemporary youth research.

Oct 15, 2026

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