States that the Lorenz Curve and the Gini Coefficient is a Web-based interactive tutorial developed for students in an upper level, undergraduate, elective economics course about income and wealth distribution, poverty, and discrimination. States that students achieve mastery because they cannot complete the tutorial without adequate understanding…

The effects of two methods of testing students on student grades were studied in 1982 with two economics classes that were taught by the same instructor. One class, which involved four 1-hour lectures weekly, received the normal four block-form examinations. The 34 students in this class were the control group. The 36 students in the other class…

The small private college does indeed have a future if it will roll with the times. Three suggestions which may assist in the survival of an institution involve the restructuring of course offerings to encompass: (1) the learning of salable work skills, (2) an emphasis on teaching the students to communicate and express their thoughts and ideas in…

Presents results of a study examining how introductory economics students use graphic analysis. Concludes that the difficulties students have in analyzing an economic problem graphically result from problems with concept formation. Suggests that videotaping can assist instructors to understand and anticipate the learning processes that students…

Many studies have identified factors that contribute to success in economics principles courses, but few have examined the causes and effects of student drops and failure. The author follows 239 students through their economic principles course and tracks the students in the year after the course. The author constructs a model predicting student…

A university economics department tested the commonly held opinion that college teachers can predict their students' eventual level of educational attainment from their personal observations of the student. A larger-than-anticipated margin of prediction error was revealed. (MSE)

This paper describes one course offered in the Economics Department at the Drexel University (DU), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that uses directed learning and focuses on public sector problems. As the opening notes, the course is titled "Learn by DU-ing" ("DU" is a reference to Drexel University) and offers a menu of…

Research on changing attitudes toward parenthood among college students was expanded to include a study of textbooks to determine if they were reflective of the changes. A sample of 980 undergraduate female home economics students in four universities in the Midwest and West Coast areas were involved in this decade retesting of Maxwell and…

A study investigated Australian students' reasons for choosing an extra year's study (honors) in economics when good employment opportunities were available without the added training. Factors considered include student background, current circumstances, achievement, course structure, perceived demand for honors graduates, opportunity costs, and…

Examines whether class size in the introductory-level economics course affects subsequent performance in intermediate-level economics courses. Studies University of Massachusetts (Boston) students who are allowed to choose large or small lecture classes. Finds that students enrolled in large sections received lower grades in subsequent…

The notion that reasoning develops in distinct phases of thinking as individuals progress from simplistic learning of facts to predicting integrated relationships was explored as subjects considered housing issues. Suggestions for developing and instructing housing programs are presented. Subjects included 13 students and faculty members at three…

In this proceedings, attention is focused on career preparation and the relationship between general and specialized studies, as well as the link between theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The preparatory study for the congress was conducted in about 300 universities, primarily in Europe and America. Nearly 15,000 interviews were…

TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING EXPERIENCES FOR INCREASING FUTURE HOME ECONOMICS TEACHERS' AWARENESS OF WORKING CLASS PATTERNS OF LIFE AND WORK, 13 COLLEGE STUDENTS, AT THE SOPHOMORE OR JUNIOR LEVELS, SPENT A PERIOD OF 10 WEEKS LIVING AND WORKING IN HOME SITUATIONS CHARACTERIZED BY LOW INCOME, LARGE FAMILIES, AND LIMITED EDUCATION, AND…

This study sought to determine what a group of first-year English as a Second Language (ESL) university students learned from a series of lectures in English, how the students learned what they appeared to learn, and what features of the lecturer's presentation most affected the learning of the students. Twelve international ESL business students…

Tests the existence of a structural shift between above- and below-average students in the econometric models that explain students' grades in principles of economics classes. Identifies a structural shift and estimates separate models for above- and below-average students. Concludes that separate models as well as educational policies are…