Faculty’s conceptions of teaching introductory economics in higher education: A phenomenographic study in a South African context

Emmanuel Ojo, Shirley Booth and Laurie Woollacott

International Review of Economics Education, 2019, vol. 30, issue C, -

Abstract: 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 economists 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 assessment; (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.

Keywords: Conceptions of teaching; Teaching in higher education; Undergraduate economics education; Phenomenography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ireced:v:30:y:2019:i:c:2

DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2018.05.001

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