REVISTA KRONOS
INSTITUTO ACADÉMICO DE IDIOMAS REVISTA KRONOS
UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DEL ECUADOR 6(2), AGOSTO 2025 - ENERO 2026, PP. 120-133
pISSN 12631-2840
eISSN 2631-2859
kronos.idiomas@uce.edu.ec
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29166/kronos.v6i2.8879
CC BY-NC 4.0 —Licencia Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
© 2026 Universidad Central del Ecuador
Nicol Paulina Garzón Cordero | Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE)-Ecuador
Diego Cristian Cajas Quishpe | Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE)-Ecuador
abstract This study explores the English learning experiences of students in Cuenca who turned to private tutoring after
facing persistent challenges in formal education. Using a qualitative autobiographical approach, the author examined the
learning journeys of teenagers aged 13 to 18 who received private English tutoring with the researcher between 2020 and
2025. The research aimed to contribute to the understanding of educational inequality and the need for more empathetic
English language teaching practices in Ecuador. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and a reflective teaching
journal that documented pedagogical practices and emotional dynamics. The theoretical framework integrates concepts
such as motivation, learner identity, linguistic imperialism, and Global English to analyze how these factors shaped stu-
dents’ learning perceptions and decisions. The findings reveal that private tutoring serves not only as academic support but
also as a space for emotional recovery, confidence building, and the reimagining of English as a meaningful learning tool.
keywords private tutoring, motivation, learner identity, Global English.
fecha de recepción 12/10/2025 fecha de aprobación 05/01/2026
Cerrando brechas: Un estudio autobiográfico sobre las experiencias de aprendizaje del inglés
a través de tutorías privadas en Cuenca, Ecuador
resumen El presente estudio explora las experiencias de aprendizaje del inglés de estudiantes en Cuenca que recurrieron
a tutorías privadas después de enfrentar dificultades persistentes en la educación formal. Desde un enfoque cualitativo
y autobiográfico, la autora examinó las trayectorias de aprendizaje de adolescentes entre 13 y 18 años que recibieron
tutorías privadas de inglés con la investigadora entre 2020 y 2025. Esta investigación buscó contribuir a la comprensión
de las desigualdades educativas y a la necesidad de prácticas de enseñanza del inglés más empáticas en Ecuador. Los datos
se recopilaron mediante entrevistas en profundidad y un diario reflexivo que documentó las prácticas pedagógicas y las
dinámicas emocionales. El marco teórico integra conceptos como la motivación, la identidad del estudiante, el imperia-
lismo lingüístico y el inglés global, con el fin de analizar cómo estos factores influyeron en las percepciones y decisiones
de aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Los hallazgos revelan que la tutoría privada no solo funciona como apoyo académico,
sino también como un espacio de recuperación emocional, construcción de confianza y resignificación del inglés como
una herramienta de aprendizaje significativa.
palabras clave tutoría privada, motivación, identidad del estudiante, inglés como lengua global.
Bridging the gap: An autobiographical study on English learning
experiences through private tutoring in Cuenca, Ecuador
Garzón N. & Cajas D.
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INTRODUCTION
This article explores how long-term private tutoring relationships shape learner identity,
motivation, and emotional well-being. Grounded in a narrative autobiographical reflec-
tion, the study focuses on the experiences of students who turned to tutoring after facing
setbacks in formal education. Their voices were collected through in-depth interviews and
analyzed alongside the tutor-researcher’s reflective journal to uncover how mutual trans-
formation occurs within these educational spaces.
In Ecuador’s educational and professional settings, English has been established as a
core component of the national curriculum. This shows that this language is considered
a critical path| to global opportunities and academic achievement. Yet, despite its weight,
many learners struggle to succeed in English instruction due to rigid curricula, overloaded
classrooms, and a lack of emotional and personalized support in both public and private
schools. These challenges often lead the students to experience anxiety, low self-confidence,
and disengagement from language learning (Guerrero et al., 2025; Barre-Parrales & Vil-
lafuerte-Holguín, 2021). These challenges often lead the students to experience anxiety,
low self-confidence, and disengagement from language learning. At the same time, private
tutoring also reflects socioeconomic inequalities, since many students who would benefit
from additional support cannot access it due to financial limitations.
In response to these problems, private English tutoring has emerged as an informal
alternative that provides a support system to complement school English instruction. This
growing phenomenon has been defined as shadow education, where private instruction com-
plements the formal system by addressing both pedagogical and emotional shortcomings
(Bray, 2022; Zumbuehl et al., 2022). Students often describe tutoring sessions as flexible,
emotionally safe, and responsive to their personal needs, which have not been consid-
ered in school-based education (Escobar Fandiño & Silva Velandia, 2020; Chan, 2019).
However, most research on this topic emphasizes that it can create structural inequalities,
overlooking the lived emotional and motivational needs addressed unevenly, depending
on who can access tutoring.
By merging learners’ perspectives with personal teaching reflections, this research
seeks to contribute new insights into the emotional recovery, motivation, and identity
negotiation that happen through tutoring. It examines how sustained private tutoring expe-
riences can foster resilience and a renewed sense of academic agency in students who once
felt excluded or unsupported in school. This study also highlights how trust, empathy, and
adaptive teaching strategies, when consistently applied, can rebuild students’ confidence
and reshape their relationship with the English language. Ultimately, the research advocates
for a more inclusive and learner-centered vision of English Language Teaching (elt). An
instruction that goes beyond grammar drills and standardized outcomes to prioritize con-
nection, well-being, and student voice within the learning process.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Across different educational systems, private English tutoring has grown where formal pro-
vision appears to be misaligned with learners’ needs. In this context, parents of students
who experience persistent gaps or low confidence in the subject, as well as anxiety during
exam cycles look for extra help (Zeng, 2024; Hajar & Karakus, 2024). Yet, the literature
does not present tutoring as a mere way to fill the gap. Instead, studies from diverse set-
tings suggest that one-to-one spaces can reduce the social cost of trying, allowing learners
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to ask questions they might avoid in crowded classrooms, and it also motivates students
to speak with less fear of embarrassment (Chan, 2019; Černá, 2020).
Tutoring is generally managed as a different relational setting. It is not a remedy for
«bad teaching» but a complementary education. People, in most cases, look for private tu-
toring because they see English as a plus in life. Unlike in formal education, where students
need to approve English, private tutoring constitutes a space which is designed to reduce
students’ fear, allow them to make mistakes without falling behind in the subject, and try
again until the language becomes usable and friendly. These benefits, however, come hand-
in-hand with students’ responsibility, if it is not handed back to students (Zumbuehl, Hof,
& Wolter, 2022; Zeng, 2024). Therefore, the goals of tutoring are not automatic; they
emerge when pedagogy, pacing, and agency are intentionally combined. Private tutoring
is also known as shadow education. This type is described as a single service considered a
«jigsaw» of local responses assembled when schools cannot fully meet students’ academic
demands (Bray, 2023).
The principal axis in the global work is the relational aspect of effective tutoring.
Tutors need to act as instructors, mentors, or coaches. They need to pair empathy with
effective teaching strategies, adjustable pacing, persistence, and a willingness to communi-
cate with students (Werbińska, Bozyiǧit, Guerra, Ekiert, & Köse, 2019; Prastyo, Tinanti,
& Farhana, 2022). In this sense, as in general education, tutoring has different modalities
for example online and hybrid, and these modes can either reproduce passivity or pur-
poseful tasks. Thus, tutors also need to innovate their classes by providing rapid feed-
back, scaffolding receptive skills, and maintaining engagement around school schedules
(Escobar-Fandiño & Silva Velandia, 2020; Guerrero, Astudillo, Orozco Jurado, Robalino,
& Salcedo, 2025).
As in the case of schools, private English tutoring also requires qualified tutors and
consistent services to ensure that quality is professional rather than incidental (Alharbi,
2024). Although it is argued that tutoring works because it occurs in quieter, closer, and
more intimate settings compared to most school classrooms, the reality is that tutors play
a significant role in facilitating English learning. Hence, the difference is structural and
relational rather than contextual. In elt (English Language Teaching) private tutoring,
tutors depict careers grounded in care and adaptation, with responsive teaching to learners’
histories rather than prescriptive norms (Hua & Yung, 2024).
Despite the benefits of private tutoring, this practice can create uneven access for
students who cannot afford them. This mirrors inequalities since, private tutoring sustains
a support only for those able to pay (Islam, Hoque, & Hoque, 2021; Walker & Zhang,
2024). In these regards, the regional conversation revolves around the question of «does
tutoring help?» to «under what conditions can it expand possibility without reproducing
exclusion?». It is necessary to see it from a broader perspective that shows the ideologies
of Global English and how these practices function as language policy, shaping what
«good English» counts as and whose identities are centered (Yung, Entrich, & Bautista,
2023; Heron et al., 2024).
In Ecuador, these tensions are concrete. Advanced programs such as clil in some
private institutions coexist with clear language policies and resources that are opposite to
those in public schools, creating uneven opportunities for English learning (Barre-Parrales
& Villafuerte-Holguín, 2021). Within this landscape, the freelance one-to-one practice
examined in this article is pictured as a complementary tool for the school rather than
a replacement. Private tutoring can be considered as an autonomy-supportive and
identity-affirming process. This is because students’ progress is organized around in-
telligibility, strategy use, and meaningful purposes, centered on learners’ identities rather
than native-speaker imitation (Yung et al., 2023; Heron et al., 2024; Hua & Yung, 2024).
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Private tutoring generally accommodates learners who are typically failing or very close
to fail English in their schools. However, when they begin their private classes, their re-
lationship with the language changes. In most cases, English shifts from an obliga-
tion to a tool, from something endured to something usable and personally meaningful.
This change may be the result of the tutors’ empathy and flexible pacing. Their relational
moves are treated as mechanisms to increase students’ participation and persistence (Wer-
bińska et al., 2019; Prastyo et al., 2022).
Careful methodological choices aim to establish a durable relationship between tutors
and students that extends beyond their sessions. Short listening and reading activities,
brief message-based and quick speaking bursts create frequent, concrete and immediate
feedback so, learners feel progress and can carry routines back to their schools (Esco-
bar-Fandiño & Silva Velandia, 2020; Guerrero et al., 2025). Care works better through
structure, such as having visible goals, simple progress markers, and predictable rhythms
that convert comfort into independent performance. This orientation resonates with
regional studies showing that emotionally committed teaching becomes transformative
when it is paired with clear scaffolds from the tutors (Tamayo et al., 2025). Tutors need to
develop students’ autonomy since support tapers around assessment periods, and respon-
sibility is gradually released so students do not come to believe that correct performance
is only possible in the tutor’s presence (Zumbuehl et al., 2022; Zeng, 2024). In other
words, private tutoring aims to help learners overcome their fear and errors in a safe
space. Once students are able to do that, they can leave that space and be ready to use the
language properly in diverse spaces.
As discussed, global and regional authors share the view that private tutoring is
a relational, designed, and complementary form of work. Its educational value lies in
how empathy and pacing open for participation. Its ethical value lies in keeping access
and autonomy among students. However, there is still limited research in Latin America
examining private tutoring from rational, emotional and identity-focused perspectives,
which leaves important regional dynamics understudied. In the Ecuadorian context, this
means recognizing that students often seek tutoring because they are failing or about to fail
English in their schools. When tutoring fosters a lasting relationship with English that out-
lasts the session, learners can begin to see the language as a tool rather than an obligation.
The present review therefore situates one-to-one tutoring in Cuenca as a bridge rather
than a bypass: a relational setting purpose-built to make confidence and control portable,
complementing rather than competing with school-based efl (Bray, 2023; Islam et al.,
2021; Heron et al., 2024; Hua & Yung, 2024; Yung et al., 2023; Walker & Zhang, 2024).
METHODOLOGY
This study adopted a qualitative, autobiographical design grounded in reflective practice
and learner-centered perspectives. Drawing on the tutor-researcher’s experience provid-
ing private English tutoring in Cuenca, Ecuador (2020–2025), the narrative approach
valued participants’ voices and personal stories to understand how meaning is construct-
ed through experience. The study was guided by the following research question: What are
the experiences and perceptions of English learners in Cuenca who seek private lessons after strug-
gling in formal educational settings? This question oriented the participants’ selection, data
collection, and analysis. As Islam et al. (2021) note, «qualitative studies provide in-depth
insights into participants’ lived experiences and social realities» (p. 738), which support-
ed the exploration of emotional and adaptive learning pathways.
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To support credibility and depth, two data collection tools were employed: a reflective jour-
nal written by the author who was also the students’ tutor and in-depth interviews with
eleven participants. The reflective journal captured the tutor’s ongoing reflections, per-
sonal reactions, and pedagogical evolution throughout the research process. As Tamayo et
al. (2025) highlight, narrative inquiry enables educators to «reflect on their profession-
al journey, emotions, and commitment to student learning» (p. 418). These journal en-
tries also served as a form of data triangulation, offering context and continuity alongside
the interviews.
The in-depth interviews were structured into three themes as follows:
• Looking Back: students described their school-based English experiences and what
led them to seek tutoring.
• During Tutoring: students reflected on their progress, emotional responses, and ac-
ademic confidence.
• Moving Forward: students discussed their readiness for independent learning and the
personal impact of tutoring.
Participants included eleven teenagers, eight males and three females (ages 13–18). They
attended private secondary schools in Cuenca. The shared characteristic of these schools
is that their tuition was more expensive than the media for private institutions in the city.
In all cases, parents or guardians initiated the search for tutoring after their children faced
problems with English. Furthermore, all participants shared five common characteris-
tics: (a) all were currently enrolled in secondary private schools; (b) parents/guardians
initiated the tutoring; (c) all were between 13 and 18 years old; (d) expensive tuition;
and (e) all were shy and lacked confidence at the beginning of the tutorials. Additionally,
the majority of participants began tutoring shortly after the covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Before attending the private tutorials, the participating students were unmotivated,
frustrated, or disinterested in English. They also viewed tutoring as a necessary interven-
tion rather than a choice. However, over time, they developed a better understanding of
the language’s importance and began to show signs of emotional and academic progress.
This aligns with Walker and Zhang’s (2024) findings that private tutoring can foster both
emotional reassurance and improved confidence among students facing systemic challenges.
To protect the participants’ confidentiality, during the analysis, they will be referred to by
fictitious first names; any potentially identifying details were generalized or removed. In-
terviews were conducted in Spanish (participants’ native language) and translated into En-
glish for reporting. Quotations were lightly edited for readability without altering meaning.
To analyze the data, the author used a thematic analysis. Following Islam et al.
(2021), the interview transcripts and journal entries were examined to identify emerg-
ing categories including motivation, emotional support, identity, and learner agency. The
coding process was inductive, allowing themes to emerge from the data without imposing
preconceived categories. As Sadhu (2024) emphasizes, «narrative accounts reveal the
emotional depth and transformative moments that statistical data often overlook» (p. 12).
Reflexivity was maintained throughout to acknowledge the tutor-researcher’s posi-
tionality and ensure ethical engagement with the data.
FINDINGS
This section is presented in three narrative blocks that mirror the students’ experiences
attending private tutoring in Cuenca as follows: Before Tutoring: examines why teenagers
and their families sought extra support, addressing, limitations of school-based English,
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initial motivations, and emotional barriers and learner identity. During Tutoring: traces
the transformative role of one-to-one work and personalized pacing, a safe climate, and
visible micro-wins. And, Looking Ahead consolidates the outcomes, showing how English
moves from an obligation to a useful tool. Throughout, the students’ narratives, the author
wovens the students’ interviews, reflective journals, and brief literature to interpret the
patterns and position her practice. Considering the research methodology previously de-
scribed, this analysis will be presented in the first person.
To guide the reader and clarify this section’s purpose, I begin with a brief autobi-
ographical account that explains how my background and teaching experience shaped the
way I interpret the students’ narratives in this study. This personal context helps position
my role as the tutor and frames the lens through which the findings are analyzed.
I hold a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in International Relations but back in 2019 I
discovered a deep passion for teaching English language and I started teaching English as a
freelance teacher. At that moment, my knowledge in the language came from my previous
academic and personal experience with language since school, high school, a year exchange
program all the way to United States in order to improve my English language skills until
studying a bilingual bachelor’s and master’s career at the University, with that foundation
I started to teach basic English classes for children in which learning focused on mastering
the basics of English language, focused not so much on the traditional way of teaching
English, but rather making my students learn from the interaction with the language by
creating a relationship with it, in the same way I learned, then with time, the number of my
students became to arise and in order to improve to be better for my students, I decided
to study something already focused clearly on teaching English as a foreign language and
to be able give my students the best from me.
Before Tutoring
Limitations of school-based English instruction
When families first come to me, they rarely discuss about English. Instead, they often talk
about the excessive activities their children have in their schools, a pace that never slows
down. Regarding how English is taught in the participants’ schools, Maria said, «I would
describe them as very repetitive, with little real progress». Francisco added that most days,
they spend their time «copying worksheets… they hardly explain anything,». To better un-
derstand this situation, I asked Pedro to exemplify this practice, he said that in his class at
school «there was no speaking… the teacher spoke mainly in Spanish». As I listened to
my students, I could already identify the pattern that I had been writing about in my notes.
Diego reinforced this by saying, «In school we just fill in books; the teacher talks, but we
don’t really use English», while Daniela noted, «My English classes were only grammar and
worksheets. We never practiced speaking», which mirrors what I found in my reflective
entries. Renato summarized it clearly: «Sometimes I didn’t even know what we were sup-
posed to be learning; we just copied». It seems that the perception about language prog-
ress and learning in schools revolve around homework compliance mostly. Thus, when
students come to my tutorials, they generally want me to help them complete their home-
work and this activity has been reducing my time needed to repair the basics (Reflective
Journal, Student Daniel, 2025).
Helping students complete their homework lesson after lesson started to produce
fatigue and it was difficult for me to move forward in teaching the language. This prac-
tice shadowed what was happening in my students’ schools. Bray and Ventura (2024)
mentioned that «the shadow follows the curriculum of the mainstream», which means
that when pacing rises and leveling never happens, the language gaps simply accumulate.
Henceforth, I tried to change this practice and, as a fixer move, I slowed the pace in each
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session, since I wanted the tutoring to work. Aiming to improve the quality of my tu-
torials, what I did during each session was two tiny checks to see the gaps, help a bit in
completing my students’ homework and we focused more on writing two short sentences
the students can make and utter with confidence. This initial move helped students noticed
their progress and loosened their fear around grammar. When progress is visible like that,
something they can point to, the fear around grammar and language use begins to ease.
Initial motivations for tutoring
There is not a single motive for students to start their extra tutorial English classes. Gener-
ally, parents come to me when their children have low grades in their English tests, which
causes worry, and they want to help their children improve their English language learn-
ing. However, the motives are diverse, for example, Veronica mentioned that her teacher
at school told her parents to find a private teacher. Another student, Mauricio who arrived
in the 2023 break said in our first class «My mom signed me up on vacations, because my
grades were low». Santiago expressed the same pressure at home: «My parents were scared
I was going to fail English again, so they looked for help», while María said, «I wanted to
improve because I felt stuck; I wasn’t learning anything in school». For Pedro, the trigger
was the new school’s placement exam: «My level is very low, but I want to learn». Other
students had changed to a tougher private school without leveling and felt the jump im-
mediately. Francisco explained, «I changed schools and everything was harder… I felt lost
in English». In my own notes from Daniel’s first week, I wrote, «First goal: avoid reme-
dials while we start leveling». (Reflective Journal, Student Daniel, 2025). A different page
from that same period reads, «Parents want stability now and a plan for later». (Reflec-
tive Journal, 2025, Intake notes).
All these motives to enroll in private tutorials align with the broader picture; families
lean on tutoring as a «stopgap» to repair unfinished learning (Yung, Entrich, & Bautista,
2023) in their children’s schools. At the same time, tutoring must keep pace with school-
work, as mentioned before, because tutorials echo school teaching «the shadow follows the
curriculum of the mainstream» (Bray & Ventura, 2024). In other words, tutorials need to
reinforce what students cannot learn in their regular English classes.
Once the students star the sessions, I can feel their stress the moment they walk
in, their parent’s tight voice from their worries and the teenager looking down without
knowing whether it will work or not. I slow everything and say, «we’re starting fresh». I
want them to keep an open mind, so my first step is to find a hook they actually like. For
example, music, football, a series, a game and connect it to English. With Mauricio, it was
music: «Songs and writing made me like English more», he said. With Pedro it was goals,
he said «My level is very low, but I want to learn». Once we have that link, motivation
shows up, and we try one small, doable task to get a first win. This calm, interest-first start
is why tutoring so often builds «increased confidence and greater motivation» (Walker &
Zhang, 2024) and why the tutor’s role is to be «the guide… the engine that will encourage
and help students» (Escobar Fandiño & Silva Velandia, 2020).
Emotional barriers and learner identity
The first thing I felt in many intakes was fear. Thus, I usually slow the pace and say, «we
try first, we fix after». In this sense, when I was recalling with my students what they
thought when they started the tutorials, Mauricio told me, «There was a time I said it
wasn’t important and I wasn’t going to get motivated», Verónica also remembered, «At the
beginning I didn’t think English was important; I didn’t want to answer». Santiago added
that his first weeks were the exact two phrases, «I don’t know… I keep forgetting». (Mauri-
cio’s, Verónica’s and Santiago’s Interviews). María echoed this fear saying, «I was nervous
to speak because I thought I would say everything wrong», and Pedro recalled, «At first I
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felt dumb in English class; I thought everyone else understood except me». Daniela also
mentioned, «I didn’t want to read aloud; I was scared people would laugh».
Regarding students’ first impressions of my tutorials and English learning, I wrote in
my Reflective Journal «They aren’t anti-English; they’re afraid of getting it wrong». So,
I gave sentence formulas, «Yesterday I ___; I usually ___; I want to ___» and we kept a
small «mistake budget». We spent it together and celebrated the first messy answer. One
visible win, something they could say and write, made them feel they were actually learning
and understanding, something they thought was impossible.
What follows matches the current evidence: tutoring frequently brings «increased
confidence and greater motivation» when support is individualized to the students (Walker
& Zhang, 2024). Therefore, tutors should not be only instructors; they also need to act
as «mentors» and «emotional supports» for learners (Werbińska et al., 2019). In practice,
that means that an error is a tolerant routine. The phrase, first try it, then fix it has helped
my students improve significantly by the end of each class. So, as anxiety softened, teen-
agers risked longer turns, and only then did the language learning start to appear.
During Tutoring
Transformative role of tutoring
Change does not start with a worksheet; it starts when the room gets quiet and the stu-
dents and I find a pace that fits both of us. María told me, «It’s just the two of us… more
connection, trust, and tailored plans». Daniel noticed the feeling: «Here I’m less afraid
of mistakes; personalized classes help me improve a lot». Verónica mentioned the envi-
ronment: «Private classes at my pace; big classes are noisy». (María’s, Daniel’s, Veróni-
ca’s Interviews). It seems that once the pressure drops, progress becomes visible. Nicolás
said, «When I learned the irregular, I felt proud», and J added, «Testing myself with irregular
verbs helped me learn». Francisco described what it felt like outside the lesson: «Before… I
didn’t understand anything; now I understand practically everything». Meanwhile, Mauri-
cio showed a strategy shift: «Now I try to answer before going to a translator». (Nicolás,
Verónica, Francisco, Mauricio). Santiago added something similar during his interview:
«Here I don’t feel embarrassed. I can stop, ask, and try again without people looking at
me». Daniela expressed relief saying, «I can finally speak without panicking; in school I
stayed quiet». María emphasized the contrast: «Here you actually teach me… you don’t
just pass slides».
From my side, the mechanism was steady and simple. In my Reflective Journal about
Pedro (2025) I wrote: «One topic per class; bite-sized tense work; visible feedback so
errors become information, not risk». With Verónica, I leaned on attention first: «Writing
to focus; then read-aloud plus short speaking to connect form and meaning». (Reflective
Journal, Student Verónica, 2025). With Santiago, the note is even more concrete: «Two
micro-tasks, one breath, one tiny win; save it in the notebook». (Reflective Journal, Stu-
dent Santiago).
Once the fear subsided, we could finally practice grammar, another language skills
purposefully without freezing. Here is how I handle it. First, I explain the point with very
easy examples, then I let them try and make mistakes because it is normal to make mis-
takes. This is something students do not feel when they are being graded at school, that
of course, is important, but more important is that students learn. When errors occur, we
correct them together. I often remind my students that there is a linguistic order to follow,
and we practice that order in short lines about their own lives. When stress rises because
they don’t understand, I do a quick explanation in Spanish (grammar only) to calm them,
and then we return to English. If, after several tries, the form is still challenging, I share
a little hack (a list, a rhyme, a color code) so it feels more manageable. Francisco described
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this moment well: «When you explain it slowly, I finally get it… in school they move too
fast». Renato mentioned, «I like that we repeat until it sticks. I don’t feel dumb anymore».
Pedro added, «When I understand the rule, English feels easier… not like a punishment».
In Ecuador, focused, meaningful support has been linked to receptive-skills gains and
higher student engagement, precisely what our teenagers began to describe as listening and
reading felt less like a wall and more like a door. «In Ecuador, focused, meaningful tutoring
has been associated with measurable improvements in efl receptive skills and higher stu-
dent engagement (Guerrero et al., 2025)». In other words, the skills-and-confidence turn
we observe is not accidental—it is the expected outcome of focused tutoring in our context
Looking Ahead
Outcomes: From obligation to useful tool
By the time the panic softens and routines are stablished, the talk changes from pass-
ing to purpose. María said: «I’ve improved a lot, but I want to keep progressing to reach
bigger goals». Mauricio was specific about what would help: «Even if I’m leveled, I’d like
more classes to speak fluently». Francisco named a concrete horizon «I want to study
in the United States; if I don’t know English, I won’t be able to» while Pedro set a near-
er ladder: «Level with my class and then reach a high level». (María, Mauricio, Francis-
co, Pedro). In my Reflective Journal for María (2025) I noted how weekly speaking goals
replaced crisis homework; in Mauricio’s journal (2025) I wrote that he began bringing
his own topics for «conversation days»; Francisco’s journal (2025) shows a growing per-
sonal word list for college tasks; and Pedro’s journal (2025) records a simple «high-level»
checklist he ticks after each unit. The question shifted from Can I survive the test? to What
can I do with English next?
Over the interviews and in my notes, a clear pattern appeared. Most students came
because parents were worried about failing, so we began with a light maintenance frame:
short daily input, spaced review of the one form that still slips, and a small chance to speak
on the first try. In the tutoring room, the relational setting is quieter, slower, and more
flexible than a classroom, allowing students to try, make mistakes, and try again. With time
and steady routines, English started to feel like a tool, not an obligation. That doesn’t mean
everyone suddenly loved English or that stress vanished; we still face busy weeks before
exams and sometimes adjust to the school timetable, because school stays important. What
changed is that students did not live in constant stress: they knew we would work at their
pace, and the two ways of learning, school and tutoring, coexist. As Pedro put it, «Here I
feel like I can ask without feeling dumb; in school I stay quiet». Daniel added something
similar during his interview: «When I practice here, I don’t feel rushed. I finally understand
what I’m doing». And Mauricio reflected: «Before, English was something I had to pass.
Now I use it — I even watch videos and try to understand».
Families observed the progress, and many chose a reduced, purpose-focused ca-
dence rather than stopping, which aligns with regional work showing tutoring opens
opportunities once confidence and routines take root (Yung, Entrich, & Bautista, 2023)
and can build motivation over time (Walker & Zhang, 2024). At the same time, I stay
alert to dependence: if a learner only performs with me present, we taper support and
hand responsibility back step by step, so gains travel back to class and do not rely on
the tutor (Zeng, 2024).
DISCUSSION
Garzón N. & Cajas D.
129REVISTA KRONOS 6(2), agosto 2025 - enero 2026 | pISSN 12631-2840 | eISSN 2631-2859
The findings across the three narrative blocks—Before Tutoring, During Tutor-
ing, and Looking Ahead—show a clear shift in how teenagers in Cuenca reposition En-
glish when supported through one-to-one tutoring. At first, students’ struggles reflected
what the literature has repeatedly documented in mainstream efl classrooms: limited feed-
back, fear of error, lack of participation, and a focus on grammar that rarely translates into
communicative use (Zeng, 2024; Walker & Zhang, 2024). These conditions not only af-
fect performance but also shape learner identity, often producing avoidance, frustration,
or the sense that English is only about passing tests.
The patterns observed in During Tutoring align with research showing that person-
alized, relational, and low-pressure learning environments open opportunities for students
to build confidence and regain control over their progress (Yung, Enright, & Bautista,
2023). Inside tutoring sessions, diagnostic clarity, slower pacing, visible micro-wins, and
repeated chances to try again without penalty helped students reinterpret what learning
English could feel like. This mirrors evidence that when students can take risks in a safe
climate where errors are treated as part of learning, their agency grows and participation
increases (Barre-Parrares & Villafuerte-Holguín, 2021).
The Looking Ahead narratives show the most significant transformation: students
began imagining long-term goals, such as studying abroad, improving fluency, or preparing
for college-level tasks. This future-oriented mindset reflects what the literature describes
as the link between sustained support and the development of motivation that goes beyond
course requirements or grades. When learners perceive progress, relevance, and trust in
the process, English becomes a meaningful tool rather than an obligation.
Taken together, these findings reinforce broader evidence from Ecuador and Latin
America: when support structures are personalized, relational, and consistent, students
who previously struggled in school-based English can recover confidence, engage more
deeply, and build forms of agency not always possible in crowded, test-driven classrooms
(Zeng, 2024; Walker & Zhang, 2024). In this study, tutoring became the context where
teenagers could re-enter English learning with less fear and more purpose, resulting in
visible changes in identity, participation, and long-term orientation.
CONCLUSIONS
This autobiographical study answers the research question by showing how teenagers in
Cuenca’s high-fee private schools experience and make sense of private English tutoring
after struggling in mainstream classrooms. Families usually arrive because repetition, lim-
ited feedback, and fear of error have eroded confidence; diagnostics make the gaps visible
and parents initiate help. Inside tutoring, the moves that matter are simple and human:
slow the pace, make progress visible, and protect an error-tolerant space. One-to-one work
allows us to anchor lessons according to the student’s interests and apply what was ex-
plained before, using the «try first and fix after», and turn grammar into small formulas
that students can use in real-life situations as they advance. As small wins accumulate, teen-
agers shift from silence to participation and from completely avoidance to actual agency.
Ultimately, English is no longer just a requirement; it has become a useful tool, for pass-
ing courses, speaking with less fear, imagining studying abroad later, and setting person-
al fluency goals for the future.
A final reflection is born from the context the research has been made, these gains are
happening to teenagers who come from families that can afford private help. It is encour-
aging that even reluctant learners in fee-charging schools can change their view of English
when support exists and is even personalized, but it also raises an equity question. If stu-
Bridging the gap: An autobiographical study on English learning experiences through private tutoring in Cuenca, Ecuador
130 REVISTA KRONOS 6(2), agosto 2025 - enero 2026 | pISSN 12631-2840 | eISSN 2631-2859
dents in well-resourced private schools need this kind of scaffolding, what happens to their
peers in public schools who cannot purchase this help and often face weaker school-based
English instruction? The ethical horizon of this study points to a simple principle: oppor-
tunities to build confidence and control of core related to education should not depend
on a family’s ability to pay. Ecuadorian evidence shows that public and private schools do
not benefit equally from efl innovations; implementation differences tied to connectivity,
resources, and teacher preparation widened during the pandemic, with public schools even
regressing in some indicators, underscoring the need for school-embedded, low-cost sup-
ports so access does not depend on family income (Barre-Parrales & Villafuerte-Holguín,
2021) This study centers on one tutor-researcher and a small, purposive sample from fee-
charging private schools in Cuenca; voices from public schools students and lower-income
families are absent and need to be captured in future studies.
CONTRIBUTOR ROLES
Nicol Paulina Garzón Cordero: Conceptualization, investigation, literature review, data
collection, data analysis, methodology development, original draft writing, results inter-
pretation, review and editing.
orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8133-444X.
Affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Educación (unae), Ecuador.
Diego Cajas: Supervision, tutoring, methodological guidance, critical review, academic
editing, validation of results, and final manuscript review.
orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6792-1443.
Affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Educación (unae), Ecuador.
ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS
The authors state that there are no ethical implications associated with this study.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors declare that there are no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that
could have influenced the work presented.
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