The Necessity for Well-Founded Teacher Education in Economics – Findings from Curriculum Analyses

Abstract

Due to the increasing importance of economic knowledge in modern society, it is argued that economic education should be offered in general education. This implies that teachers in general education should receive an economic education themselves. In Germany, most federal states have implemented economic education in schools, however, teacher education shows some deficits. By analyzing school curricula (middle and grammar school) and university based learning opportunities, the author presents notable discrepancies between university and school curricula. Deficits also exist in middle and grammar schools curricula. The initial results suggest that prospective teachers in the field of economics lack teaching qualifications (especially content knowledge). Therefore, the development of adequate school and university curricula are important to match prospective teachers' to the needs of students in economic education and the demands of a modern society.