Economic Education in Schools and Universities in England

Why Study Economics? Perspectives from 16–19-Year-Old Students

“…Its popularity has since decreased rapidly (Bell et al, 2007). Davies and Durden (2010) suggest that the removal of economics from the national curriculum was responsible for the lack of attention and resources directed towards the subject. They also suggest that economics began to be perceived increasingly as a difficult subject, considered more appropriate for students with high levels of previous attainment.…”

“…It is also important to make economics attractive to a range of students from a range of social backgrounds. This will make economics more accessible to average students who want to pursue degrees where economics is an important related component (Davies & Durden, 2010). Even if students do not intend to pursue higher education in economics or a related subject, skills related to financial knowledge and planning are important life skills that will be useful in a variety of situations or careers.…”

“…In a report by the Department for Education and Employment (2000), the importance of economics education was highlighted on the basis that it develops financial capability and the ability to make related decisions. Davies and Durden (2010) note that economics degrees are regarded highly by a wide range of employers, who believe that team work and written communication are developed. Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, 2011) found that in schools and colleges where economics teaching was of a high quality -for instance, where the teachers asked questions to confirm students' understanding and extend their thinking -the students developed generic skills of analysis and evaluation.…”

“…A report on the provision of subjects at GCSE (Claessen, 2005) showed that economics as a stand-alone subject was not widely offered by schools or colleges; most instead offered only business studies or business studies with economics. Davies and Durden (2010) also highlighted the imbalance in schools and colleges in relation to the provision of economics and business studies. In 2010, there were 5170 schools and colleges in England with at least one candidate taking GCSEs (National Pupil Database, 2011).…”

“…A small proportion of the students also mentioned generic or transferable skills -for instance, 'analysis', 'essay writing' and 'higher-order thinking'. Davies and Durden (2010) note that these transferable skills are an important component of economics degrees. They also suggest that economics graduates are regarded highly by a wide range of employers because of the assumption that economics develops these valuable skills.…”