Behavioral economics concepts can advance understanding, predicting, and controlling complex human behavior. Although there have been numerous attempts to apply behavioral economics concepts to applied settings, there are a limited number of experiments conducted in educational settings. The purpose of the studies in this paper is a to apply…

Findings from a study to determine the effect of experience-type teaching (real life vs. vicarious) and concept-label-type teaching (invented vs. conventional) on the learning and retention of economics concepts (opportunity cost) by 129 first graders suggest that real-life experiences and invented concept labels enhance learning and retention of…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 5900 Culminating…

Children in two first-grade classes and their teachers decided to take an imaginary trip to Washington D.C. For three weeks, the first graders spent their afternoons on the project, and their simulated flight was the culminating activity of a unit on Washington, D.C. In this article, the author discusses several details of the activity,…

A 3-month study unit introducing first grade students to economics through an Easter theme is outlined in five sections. Sections 1 and 2 describe rationale, goals, and learning objectives. Section 3 provides learning activities. A wide range of instructional strategies is used to teach the basic economic concepts of want, need, scarcity,…

This year-long economics project helped first graders from a low-income area recognize and see themselves as participants in an economic world. Students studied their community to learn about the different types of work people do, goods and services, problems of scarcity, the necessity for rules and goals, the use of natural resources, the…

A case study describes the installation of economic education at the kindergarten-primary grades in one state. The effectiveness of the process depends on the demand for such instruction, the materials available, the willingness and capabilities of teachers, and the time allocated for such instruction. (Author/RM)

This study explores the effects of cooperative and mastery learning methods, alone and in combination, on first and second grade students' learning and retention of basic economic facts. A 2 X 2 (cooperative X mastery) factorial design compared the achievement of 120 students randomly assigned by grade level stratification to one of four treatment…

In this 9-week unit, students compare and contrast goods and services and discuss economic activities that occur in cities, sorting them into the production of goods or the provision of a service. Students examine how people use money to purchase goods and services. Wants are defined in terms of trade-offs or choices that must be made. Job…

This study explored the effect of experiential and experience-based approaches to learning and instruction on transitional first grade students' (a) acquisition and use of economic concepts and (b) economic reasoning ability as indicated by the presence or absence of misconceptions about economic concepts. A pretest-posttest control group design…

This document provides teaching guidelines and student material for a unit intended for use in first grade mathematics programs. Time allotment is from four to six hours of classroom time. The objective of this capsule is to help students learn how to earn and count money. The student material is divided into two sections. Section I focuses on…

Objectives of the fourth unit of the first grade section of the Focus on Inner City Social Studies (FICSS) series (see SO 008 271) are to help the student develop an understanding of his needs and his economic environment. The many learning activities, focus on the economic system -- consumers, money, exchange of goods, use of resources,…

This five-part resource guide, giving teachers clear identification of and access to economic concepts and activities, provides examples of how basic economic concepts and practices can be meaningfully and systematically incorporated in K-3 social studies. Part I lists major economic generalizations for grades K-3 to provide teachers with a…

This publication serves as a supplement to social studies guides in kindergarten through third grade. As such, it provides a means of incorporating economic understandings into the social studies curriculum. The aim is to develop in a sequential and systematic fashion the student's ability to identify and analyze significant economic forces…

The guide, one in a series of elementary level economics and consumer education teaching resources, is designed for kindergarten and first grade levels. The guide identifies objectives for economics and consumer education, offers a glossary of relevant terms, lists general audiovisual and print resources, and outlines specific learning activities…