Teaching Economics To The Best Undergraduates: What Are The Problems?

Abstract

Economics is usually perceived as a difficult subject among undergraduate students with negative repercussions on their performance. The literature suggests that the students problems with principles of economics are mainly related to the style and method of teaching together with the course content. Particularly attacked are the chalk and talk type of teaching, the simplicity of economic models, the lack of discussion on current issues, and diversity. In a previous investigation we tried to shed some light on this debate by directly asking students for their opinions on the way introductory economics is taught and we arrived at some unexpected results. The present paper is an extension of our previous study by looking at a further dimension which can be crucial for the explanation of the results: students GPA and we selected the best students.