High School Economic Knowledge and Term Paper

, 1993).

On the other hand, though, and more importantly for the purposes of this analysis, some studies have shown that those students who completed a high school economics class still developed a more keen awareness of the conditions that contributed to economic outcomes and what role they may play in later life. According to Lopus and Maxwell (1994), "Students who took high school economics, irrespective of the curriculum, did not outperform students without high school economics on a pretest or a post test of college-level economics.... Although students who take high school economics may not have increased knowledge of college-level economic principles, they may have an increased awareness of current events, consumer issues or economic history. As well, the high school economics class may address the needs of the non-college bound student" (emphasis added) (p. 62). Clearly, then, while the jury may still be out on how high school economics is best taught, there are some definite academic and personal benefits to be gained through its study. Nevertheless, because resources are by definition scarce, it is important for educators and policymakers alike to recognize which approaches to the delivery of economics instruction at the high school level work - and more importantly why they work.

Conclusion

The research showed that while some authorities maintain that high school students in the United States require more practical economic information that will enable them to become informed consumers and investors, still others argue that the traditional model of teaching economics in high school places too much emphasis on capitalism and on the American economy, in spite of increasing evidence that globalization and the associated problems will become increasingly important issues in the future (Zevin, 2000). The research also showed that today, the majority of opponents to the traditional approach to teaching economics in American high school would tend to agree that the standard approach manages to avoid teaching any controversial issues, whether practical or theoretical, and does not provide most students with the insight into current economic debates about policies and values that they will need in the future. Finally, although the studies to date have shown mixed results concerning the effectiveness of introducing economics in the high school curriculum, it is reasonable to assert that the importance of the concepts and issues involved makes the need all the more pronounced, and it would be advisable for policymakers and educators alike to examine what techniques have worked best and why to help refine existing best practices to make the study of economics a more effective and relevant American high school course. Indeed, in the Age of Information, the question might well be whether high school is too late rather than too early to introduce these increasingly important and valuable economic concepts into the American high school classroom.

References

Becker, W., Greene, W., & Rosen, S. (1990). Research on high school economic education. Journal of Economic Education, 21 (3), 231-45.

Bellisimo, Y., Maxwell, N.L., & Mergendoller, J.R. (2000). Comparing problem-based learning and traditional instruction in high school economics. The Journal of Educational Research, 93(6), 374.

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Brasfield, D.W., Harrison, D.E., & McCoy, J.P. (1993). Impact of high school economics on the college principles of economics course. Journal of Economic Education, 24(2), 100.

Lopus, J.S. (1997). Effects of the high school economics curriculum on learning in the college principles class. Journal of Economic Education, 28(2), 143.

Lopus, J.S., & Maxwell, N.L. (1994). High school: Does the high school economics curriculum make a difference? American Economist, 38(1), 62.

Peterson, N.A. (1992). The high school economics course and its impact on economic knowledge. Journal of Economic Education, 23(1), 5.

Walstad, W.B., & Soper, J.C.…