Most economics students at two Swedish universities do not complete their undergraduate theses within the intended time. This paper finds that coauthoring, compared to writing alone, increases the probability of completing a thesis. A second thesis is less likely to be completed than a first, and the probability of completion decreases over time.…

The author describes two learning activities for teaching economics at the advanced undergraduate level: a May American Economic Review (AER) papers seminar and an analytic project. Both activities help students learn to "do economics." The May AER papers seminar promotes in-depth synthesis and interpretation on the basis of printed session papers…

Reports results of a study of economics students to test the effect of time and other factors affecting retention, to develop an instrument to measure the rate of depreciation of the student's stock of economic knowledge, and to explore the implications of findings for the student's academic planning. (Author/KC)

Outlines principles that guide a successful undergraduate economics honors program: simplicity, accessibility, skill development, risk minimization, and incentives to combat procrastination. Describes a model which specifies three of the usual six electives and requires a senior thesis that makes an original contribution to economics…

Outlines a model for teaching economics that incorporates introductory economics concepts into an interdisciplinary class that includes three disciplines focused on a central theme. Covers the principles of microeconomics and the fundamentals of environmental economics. Links these topics to those covered in the ecology and philosophy sections of…

The objective of a research project was to describe how undergraduate home economics students perceive their work lives in the year 2000 according to age, race, gender, marital status, and geographic region of the country. A valid, field-tested survey instrument developed specifically for this project was administered to 324 volunteer…

Examines trends in undergraduate economics degrees awarded in U.S. colleges and universities in 1998-99. Reports there seems to be a recovery in the number of economic degrees awarded, stating that the recovery started in 1996-97 and has since persisted. (CMK)

Describes a classroom game that demonstrates to students that equilibria can occur naturally in order to encourage students to take unreasonable equilibria more seriously. Discusses the game, how to organize it in the classroom for a game theory course, and the results. (CMK)

Presents a simple technique for teaching the Cournot model to first-year microeconomic students. Involves demonstrating, without the use of derivatives, that out of all rectangles with a common perimeter, the square has the greatest area. (RLH)

Models imports as a fixed proportion of spending rather than as a function of total or disposable income. Predicts the initial autonomous change in domestic spending by netting out spending shifts. Presents formulation which provides a clearer understanding of how leakages influence the multiplier process. (RLH)

Describes interest in the behavior of random processes with positive feedback. Explains that simulation of the law of large numbers with increasing amounts of feedback makes instruction of random processes with positive feedback possible for undergraduate students. (RLH)

Examines the underrepresentation of women in undergraduate economics programs. Finds no evidence that gender of instructor influences first-year microeconomics performance or the likelihood that a student will continue in economics. Female students do, however, fare worse in economics courses than do male students. Study controlled for measured…

Analyzes effects of curriculum changes resulting from university education reforms in Spain during 1990-95, focusing on first-cycle undergraduate economics students and using estimated education-production functions. Considers both affective and cognitive education-output dimensions. Curriculum reform produced no significant differences in…

Notes responses to present deficiencies in college introductory economics courses. Discusses the University of Nebraska's ADAPT (Accent on Developing Abstract Processes of Thought) program. The interdisciplinary project, based on Piaget's developmental stages, assists students in acquiring reasoning skills for the highest stage of intellectual…

Describes study which indicates that large class size is not detrimental to retention performance in introductory economics classes. Variables examined include class size, method of instruction, cognitive levels of learning, pre- and post-test scores, grade in the course, class, SAT scores, and student attitude. (KC)