Appealing to Good Students in Introductory Economics

Abstract

The authors examine the effectiveness of different teaching techniques using a unique data set that allows them to match student and instructor characteristics to assess their impact on students' interest in economics. They find that devoting less class time to lecture and more to discussion is effective for all types of students. However, the magnitude of the effects of these two techniques varies considerably by type of student, as does the impact of several other teaching techniques. They conclude that using a variety of teaching techniques is the most successful strategy to appeal to the broad range of learning styles adopted by “good” students.

Key Words:

• economics majors
• good students
• pedagogy

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth J. Jensen

Elizabeth J. Jensen is a professor of economics (e-mail: [email protected]), and Ann L. Owen is an associate professor of economics. Both are at Hamilton College. The authors thank Wayne Grove, Edward Merkel, Jeffrey Pliskin, Robert Turner, Peter Kennedy, and two anonymous referees for helpful comments.