Rethinking edu-business narratives: how interactions shape the localization of foreign tutoring institutions in urban Indonesia

Résumé fourni par la source

This article explores how organizational stories and narratives used by internationally operated tutoring institutions are reinterpreted within local contexts, given the ongoing debates about edu-businesses. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork across three cases—comprising interviews and observations with local staff, instructors, learners, and families in Indonesia (2019–2024)—the study analyzes how their educational philosophies circulate through stories, acquire meaning through everyday interactions, and generate social functions. The findings show that participants are attracted not only to academic support but also to distinctive institutional identities and approaches that emphasize independence, self-expression, and personal character development. These narratives are adapted to address locally recognized challenges, including dissatisfaction with school practices, shifting parental involvement, and the pressures of rapid urbanization, while invoking ‘Japanese-ness’ or ‘Australian-ness’ as meaningful and practical ideals. Beyond their instructional roles, tutoring centers often function as community spaces or ‘second homes’, strengthening ties among learners, families, alumni, and local schools. However, these same networks can also function as markers of status, thereby reinforcing social exclusivity. Overall, this article argues for a more nuanced understanding of the localized manifestations of globally circulating edu-business, one that foregrounds contextual meaning-making, community formation, and inequality risks, thus moving beyond understanding solely in economic or cultural-hegemonic framings.

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