BECE. Newsletter Vol.14, No.1, 2023 1766 Urban-Rural Differences in Student Decision-Making Regarding Shadow Education: An Analysis Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior By Li, J. L. & Wu, W. Correspondence to: Wei Wu, Beijing Institute of Technology, China. E-mail: Williamwu19@163.com RIGINALLY, extracurricular tutoring was meant to help students to improve their academic performance and prospects for further educa- tion. Yet, shadow education has now become an off-campus arena for the competition for additional educational resources, as it takes place outside formal schools and is a paid service. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study analyzed the deci- sion process in after-school tutoring consumption from the standpoint of de- mand and explored the main factors in decision-making about students’ par- ticipation in shadow education, in an effort to provide urban and rural fami- lies with implications for making rational decisions regarding private sup- plementary tutoring to reduce the burdens it brings on to children and parents. The study recruited 32 secondary school students between the ages of 14 and 16 from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou Cities and Jiangsu Province. They were either senior students of middle schools or junior students of high schools. Among the subjects, there were 17 female and 15 male students, with 22 of them from urban schools and 10 from rural ones. Data were col- lected through interviews. Research findings showed that the theory of planned behavior is ap- plicable to the decision-making of all students choosing to participate in af- ter-school tutoring. Students would deliberate and make decisions based on the following three aspects: attitudes (views on after-school tutoring), subjec- tive norms (social pressure from parents, friends, and peer groups), and per- ceived behavior control (objective conditions such as traffic distance be- tween home and the off-campus training institution, tutoring fees, tutoring quality, etc.). There were significant differences in decision-making about shadow education between urban and rural students. Rural students could not access private tutoring, especially high-quality private tutoring due to economic constraints and/or traffic difficulties, while their urban peers can enjoy the dual educational advantages: better school education and high-quality extra- curricular tutoring. Rural students played a more passive role in extracurricu- O mailto:Williamwu19@163.com Vol.14, No.1, 2023 1767 lar tutoring participation and their decision-making were often the result of influences from their parents’ social connections, while urban students are more likely to make autonomous decisions based on their own needs. Source: Journal of Capital Normal University, 2022; 2022(6):172-180.