Abstract
Teaching economics as a distinct subject matter requires a curriculum rationale and curricular orientation no less than any other subject matter field. As with any social studies curriculum component, it is necessary to delineate the curriculum parameters of economics so as to justify and guide its teaching in the schools. This article aims to explore various approaches to developing and implementing economics curricula, weighs their benefits and drawbacks, and ends with a suggestion for blending the alternatives so as to optimize the benefits. Prior to the development of a curriculum rationale, however, the educator must ask a question seldom raised with the other social sciences: What kind of economics should be taught? Positive Versus Normative Economics The positive versus normative distinction in economics is particularly important in economic education.
Highlights
Trade deficits, stock market woes, inflation, and the energy crisis are examples of economic problems in almost every under development countries during the past three decades
Parkay and Hass (2000) stated that “The curriculum is all the experiences that individual learners have in a program of education whose purpose is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives, which is planned in terms of a framework of theory and research, or past and present professional practice [10]
Prior to the development of a curriculum rationale, the educator must ask a question seldom raised with the other social sciences: What kind of economics should be taught? Positive Versus Normative Economics The positive versus normative distinction in economics is important in economic education
Summary
Stock market woes, inflation, and the energy crisis are examples of economic problems in almost every under development countries during the past three decades. Prior to the development of a curriculum rationale, the educator must ask a question seldom raised with the other social sciences: What kind of economics should be taught? Positive economics means a set of testable propositions, hypotheses, or predictive statements about economic phenomena or economic behavior (or what are generally referred to as scientific propositions) [3] They take the form of statements such as, "If A occurs, B will follow." Such statements can be tested and disproved by confrontation with real world data. Having addressed the question of what kind of economics to teach, the following sections turn to a discussion of some alternative approaches to economic education through the school curriculum. The choice of curricular approach should be made with full knowledge of these benefits and drawbacks
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