High School Economics Teachers Research Articles

Knowledge and Attitudes of Georgia High School Economics Teachers

Using a unique large sample survey, the knowledge and attitudes of Georgia high school economics teachers towards economics is examined for the first time. Teachers are found to have a good knowledge of economics with perhaps more training needed in supply/demand analysis and monetary economics. A minority of teachers don't like economics and even the math that is needed to teach it. Teachers who recently took a university course or at least attended an economics education workshop are far more likely to like and be knowledgeable about economics.

Does in‐service professional learning for high school economics teachers improve student achievement?

Education policy analysts and professional educators have called for more and better professional learning opportunities for in‐service teachers, and for at least 30 years economists called for more content training for high school economics teachers. Using new data from all Georgia high school economics students, we assess the impact of in‐service teacher workshops on the performance of students on a high‐stakes end‐of‐course economics exam. Controlling for student characteristics and teacher fixed effects, we find a positive and significant impact of teacher workshop attendance – once teachers have attended three workshops – on student test scores. Furthermore, the results suggest that in‐service workshops for economics teachers offer a cost‐effective way to provide content training.

Teacher efficacy: An investigation of Economics teachers

In an era of unprecedented curriculum change it is not surprising that many South African teachers have begun to question their ability to affect learner performance. Teachers have to engage with a changing learner culture, with new curriculum content and are under pressure to embrace different teaching strategies without fully understanding the theoretical principles on which they are based. In this paper the authors explore high-school Economics teachers' beliefs about their capacities to influence learning. This paper is based on a quantitative empirical investigation into Economics teachers' efficacy beliefs about the teaching of Economics. Economics teachers from each of the 45 Department of Education delineated districts in KwaZulu-Natal province were selected to be participants in the study. We argue that while Economics teachers perceive their role as important in the learning process, male teachers in particular see the teacher as the dominant influence on learner performance, and are more confident than female teachers of their knowledge and teaching abilities.

Implementing Economics Standards: A Pilot Transition Program

Most states have adopted high school economics standards, but implementation efforts face two hurdles: evidence indicates (i) that five or six economics classes are needed for high school economics teachers and (ii) stand-alone classes are more effective than infusion strategies. A pilot program was developed to test whether solid results could be achieved via partial solutions to these problems. The pilot program focused on a self-contained nine-week economics module that was included in a required one-year civics class. Teacher training was condensed, but the training included discussion of teaching strategies along with economics content, and the pilot program teachers were funded to design the module themselves. Test scores for the pilot program students increased significantly, indicating that this is a viable transition strategy.

A Response of High School Teachers to the Adoption of State Economics Standards

This paper addresses the recent adoption of economics standards in the state of Indiana. The analysis is based on responses to a survey instrument that was designed to obtain information about the demographic profile of high school economics teachers, their coverage of the topic areas included in the economics standards, and the critical challenges they face as high school economics teachers. We find that while virtually all teachers in our sample deviate from the standards, the magnitude of the deviation is small, and occurs in a predictable way. Most teachers appear to spend slightly less time on microeconomics (43.2% versus the mandated 50%) and international economics concepts (9.1% versus the mandated 12%) in favor of additional personal finance topics (19% versus 10%). As a result, the standards appear to be moderately successful in achieving its intended goal of creating convergence in content coverage in high school economics curricula.

Teachers' Rationales for High School Economics

One widely held rationale for economic education is that it helps develop students who possess an economic way of thinking that can produce better economic problem solvers and citizens. Little has been written about whether classroom teachers of economics hold similar goals and/or rationales for their economics courses. This preliminary study was designed to gather data on two broad questions: (a) what reasons do teachers give for teaching high school economics and (b) what are the major goals these teachers hold for their economics courses and students in those courses? Eight high school economics teachers were interviewed, their responses transcribed and the transcripts analyzed to determine if any patterns emerged. Results suggested that teachers held a range of goals and rationales, some that were incompatible with widely held rationales. Following analysis, three broad ‘themes’; emerged: high school economics as preparation for college economics, economics as life skills or economics as good citizenship.

Conservation of Resources and the Common Pool Problem A Classroom Exercise for High-School Economics Teachers

Conservation of Resources and the Common Pool Problem A Classroom Exercise for High-School Economics Teachers

Some Teaching Techniques for High School Economics

In this article two high school economics teachers describe several teaching techniques that have proven successful in their school. The use of a team approach is briefly explained, and the importance of student motivation is stressed. Among the methods included are skits, plays, the use of video tapes, simulations and games, and the analysis of important economic problems. The means by which the instructors are evaluating their course are set forth, with evidence that the experience helps to destroy commonly held myths about economics and greatly improves student understanding of basic principles.