Assessment of economic competencies using a matrix puzzle and a document analysis

Abstract

In this article, the author presents two alternative approaches to the assessment of competencies in economics. The first is a concept assessment as a matrix puzzle. The rows of the matrix are the economic changes and the columns are the economic outcomes. To solve the puzzle, students state which change is associated with an outcome and which is not. The second one is a performance assessment as a document analysis that gives students documents and asks them to use them to analyze a realistic economic problem. Students use higher-order thinking in the process of selecting information from the document and in preparing their written answers. The explanation of each assessment type uses tasks related to supply and demand as examples.

Keywords:

• assessment
• critical thinking
• economic competencies
• economics testing
• higher-order thinking

JEL CODES:

• A22

Acknowledgments

The author received help on this assessment project from many others. Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia hosted a March 2017 planning meeting at the University of Mainz. The discussion with meeting participants—Sam Allgood, Amanda Bayer, Klaus Beck, Bill Bosshardt, Sebastian Brückner, Kai Cortina, Manuel Förster, Georg Schaur, Rich Shavelson, and Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia—shaped the framework and prototypes for the assessments. Allgood helped refine the sample instruments described in this study. The author also benefitted from comments received from participants at sessions at the 2017 and 2018 AEA-CEE Conferences on Teaching and Research in Economic Education (CTREE).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation provided support for work on this project.