Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Zululand, 1999. / The two major employers in South Africa are the government and the commercial sector. Owing to problems faced by government, jobs in the public sector are shrinking and this makes the commercial sector the only potential employer. Most jobs in the commercial sector are in the field of Economics and this poses a challenge on Economics teachers. They are faced with a challenge of teaching Economics affectively and meaningfully so that learners are made aware of the careers and job opportunities in the field of Economics. Much then can be done by the Economics teacher to help learners towards embarking on a career in the field of Economics. Research with regard to this study will be conducted as follows: * A literature study of available literature will be done. * An empirical study comprising a structured questionnaire to be completed by Economics teachers of high schools. A Likert-rype scale questionnaire with these response categories, namely Agree, Uncertain and Disagree, was constructed. Fifty respondents representing Economics teachers were randomly selected from 16 high schools in Umlazi. The data was in the form of a response to one of the three response categories (Agree, Uncertain, Disagree). Scores of the responses to each of the three categories were calculated. The descriptive technique was employed for the quantitative analysis of data. This investigation has the value that it will provide an image of Economics teachers' perceptions of motivational challenges facing them as Economics teachers. Certain recommendations have been made. The aim of these recommendations to encourage the Economics teachers to improve the teaching of Economics schools by: * Subject enhancement programmes for Economies * Regular educational audit * Further research

The dominant approach to the study of economics at secondary school level in the Maldives is teacher-centred methods based on behaviourist views of teaching and learning. Despite considerable research on the benefits of cooperative learning in economic education at the post-secondary level, very limited research has been conducted in secondary school classrooms in order to find ways of improving teaching and learning of economics. The purpose of this study was to enhance the teaching and learning of economics at secondary schools in the Maldives by trialing a cooperative learning model to enhance economics teachers' awareness of the impact that cooperative learning might have on student learning. This study explored a cooperative learning approach to teaching and learning economics in secondary schools and investigated teachers' and students' perceptions of cooperative learning. Some elements of both ethnographic and grounded theory methodologies were employed and specific data collection methods included workshops, classroom observations, interviews, video tapes and student questionnaires. Nine teachers and 232 students were involved in this study. The research was conducted in three stages (pre-intervention, workshops to train the participants, and post-intervention) over a period of three months in three selected schools in Male', the Maldives. Four research themes were derived from the analysis of both pre and post intervention data. These themes were teaching issues, learning issues, cooperative learning implementing issues, and students' and teachers' reactions to cooperative learning. In the pre-intervention phase, the teachers taught in a traditional manner, but after the intervention they incorporated elements of cooperative learning method to teach economics in their selected classes. The overall findings showed a considerable change in teachers' and students' attitudes and perceptions about traditional teacher-centred methods towards more student-centred methods of cooperative learning. It was evident that both teachers and students perceived cooperative learning to be an effective method of teaching. For example, the findings revealed that both teachers and students understood and could see the benefits that cooperative learning offered to the teaching and learning of economics. The students indicated that they liked working in groups and appreciated getting help from other students. In addition, the results revealed that students' interactions and involvement in classroom activities, as well as interest and motivation to learn economics, increased during the implementation of the cooperative learning model. Furthermore, this study found a mismatch between home and the traditional teacher-centred school culture in the Maldives. In contrast, the findings suggest that the principles of cooperative learning match well with the cultural values of Maldivian society. Consequently, a revised model of cooperative learning is presented that includes the aspects of culture. Jordan (1985) argued that educational practices must match with the children's culture (p. 110) and thus culturally responsive teaching can help to minimise confusion and promote an academic community of learners that enables students to be more successful learners (Gay, 2000). This study suggests that training teachers and students for cooperative learning is salient for effective implementation of cooperative learning for a positive influence on students' learning and teachers' pedagogy. However, further research should be conducted to examine other aspects of teaching and learning which may also enhance this relationship.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Economics / Dong Li / The dissertation examines empirical issues related to health and labor economics. It has long been debated whether breastfeeding leads to a higher intelligence quotient (IQ) and greater scholastic achievement. The first study empirically examines the issue. Many past studies fail to take into account the possible endogeneity of the breastfeeding decision and thus falsely identify the correlation between breastfeeding and IQ as a causal relationship. We attempt to distinguish the causation and correlation between the two variables. Our results show that, after controlling for possible endogeneity, breastfeeding has no significant impact on IQ or scholastic achievement. The second essay examines the link between breastfeeding and childhood obesity. Heath economics researchers view breastfeeding as a determining factor as to whether a child becomes obese. There are many theories, involving both biological and psychological factors, as to why breastfeeding is negatively linked to childhood obesity. This essay argues that the breastfeeding decision is not an exogenous one, so estimation technique such as ordinary least squares is not the correct way to estimate the relationship between breastfeeding and childhood obesity. Instruments are used to generate exogenous variations in the breastfeeding variable. After correcting for any estimation bias due to the breastfeeding variable being endogenous, this study documents the benefits of breastfeeding. The third essay analyzes 19 semesters of student evaluations at Kansas State University. Faculty fixed effects are sizable and indicate that, as assessed by students, the best principles teachers also tend to be the best non-principles teachers. OLS estimates are biased because principles teachers are drawn from the top of the distribution and because unmeasured faculty characteristics are correlated with such variables as the response rate and student effort. Student ratings are lowest for new faculty but stabilize quickly. Expected GPA of the class is not an important determinant of student ratings, but equitable grading is; and the rewards for equitable grading appear larger for principles classes. The lower ratings in principles classes are fully accounted for by greater class size.

Recent advancements in the speed and availability of the Internet have catapulted distance education into the forefront of possible economic education alternatives. Distance learning courses are taught exclusively over the Internet. Economics distance courses provide alternatives for economics students to traditional classroom instruction, and also invite new students to the discipline who may not have otherwise enrolled. An increase in the number of distance courses in the economics field has sparked a debate over the ability of distance courses to provide equivalent educational outcomes as traditional in-class courses. This study evaluates educational outcomes from a traditional section and two distance sections of introductory agricultural microeconomics courses, Economics of the Food and Fiber System (AAEC 1005), taught at Virginia Tech. The study compares student learning, attitudes and interests in economics, and perceptions of instructor effectiveness between traditionally taught students and those taught through distance education. Average exam scores, and common exam questions given to students in both course types, are the measures of student learning used in this study. Attitudes and interest are measured by student survey, and perceptions of instructor effectiveness are measured by student course evaluations. A variety of statistical tests are conducted comparing distance and traditional students in order to determine the influence of delivery method on educational outcomes. Results indicate that traditional students generally obtain higher grades on tests, and have a higher opinion of course instruction than distance students, suggesting that distance education is not an equivalent educational alternative to traditional classroom instruction. / Master of Science

The diploma thesis on the topic "Teaching of Economics at a Secondary Vocational School from the Didactics of Social Sciences Perspective" is divided into two parts. The first part is a theoretical one, where the author defines the theoretical didactic concepts in detail, and they are then used in the second, practical part of the thesis. This part presents a proposal of a didactic unit, which deals with the teaching of wage calculation. It includes a worksheet and methodical sheet as well, the detailed didactic preparation and detailed reflection of the implemented didactic unit in the classroom and online teaching. Repeatedly practising this didactic unit, it can be noted that the proposed form of teaching is effective and accepted by students. Personal and social skills, mathematical skills and critical thinking training also go beyond the main topic.