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Faculty’s conceptions of teaching introductory economics in higher education: a phenomenographic study in a south african context

  • Authors Details :  
  • Emmanuel Ojo,  
  • Shirley Booth,  
  • Laurie Woollacott

Journal title : International Review of Economics Education

Publisher : Elsevier BV

Print ISSN : 1477-3880

Page Number : 100134

Journal volume : 30

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In view of the on-going global debate about the economics curriculum and its teaching, this paper explores how the faculty responsible for teaching introductory economics at a South African university understand learning and teaching of their subject. We have adopted a qualitative research approach, phenomenography, to complement what we already know from mainstream literature on undergraduate economics education, predominantly published by academic econ- omists using a quantitative methodology. After a phenomenographic analysis of interview data with lecturers and tutors, six conceptions of teaching introductory economics (Economics 1) emerged: (I) team collaboration to implement the economics curriculum; (II) a thorough knowledge of the content; (III) implementing the curriculum in order for students to pass as- sessment; (IV) helping students learn key economics concepts and representations to facilitate learning; (V) engaging students through their real-life economics context to acquire economic knowledge; and (VI) helping students think like economists. These are discussed first in relation to the implications for student learning and second, in a broader context of higher education discourses and educational development

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2018.05.001

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