مجله بین المللی آموزش مدیریت – The International Journal of Management Education

Instruction of economics as a business foundational course has not been impressive. Recent research has found that the subject of economics and the quality of instruction has been consistently ranked among the lowest by undergraduate students in colleges and universities in the United States (Becker & Watts, 2001b; Cashin, 1990; Ongeri, 2009). Due to this poor ranking, there has been an increased effort to understand the reasons behind why students have such a negative perception of the subject of economics (Ongeri & Edward, 2006). Literature reviewed, reveal that several explanations have been explored. Among the main issues explored however, lecture (talk and chalk) method of instruction seems to be prominently addressed.

To date, the “chalk-and-talk” approach is predominantly used in teaching economics. For example, a 1996 (and repeated in 2000, 2005 and 2010) national survey of 628 economics instructors, found that instructors spent an average of 83% of their class time lecturing (Becker & Watts, 2001a). As in the liberal philosophy of education (Merriam & Simpson, 2000), where learners are assumed to come to class with little or no prior knowledge of the subject, and the instructor is for long seen as an expert equipped with textbook knowledge to deposit (bank) into students, learners’ views are hardly considered in economics teaching, which gives a disturbing picture (Walstad & Watts, 1985). In response to this concern, there has been a growing body of research about finding ways to improve teaching in economics departments. As Becker & Watts argue, “changing teaching methods and increasing the importance of teaching within economics departments, in response to falling enrollments, is a plausible and endogenous response for faculty members and departments” (Becker & Watts, 2001a, p. 446). The purpose of this review therefore, is to explore what literature says about the teaching of economics. In the following sections of this paper, I will present, the method used in selecting literature, findings of the review, and a discussion.