Teaching Tools: Should We Teach Microeconomic Principles Before Macroeconomic Principles?

Abstract

No consensus exists about the optimal sequencing of economics principles courses. We show that most top‐ranked economics departments either do not specify an ordering or require microeconomics first, while most textbooks present macroeconomics before microeconomics. Using a national economic education database, we find that students learn more in principles of microeconomics after taking a course in macroeconomics. However, students do not learn more in principles of macroeconomics after taking a course in microeconomics. This implies that, ceteris paribus, principles of macroeconomics should be taught before principles of microeconomics for optimal student learning.

Pretesting students to improve teaching and learning

“…Hafer and Hafer [1998] also make this point, emphasizing the positive correlation between graphing and math skills and student performance in the course. Studies by Evensky et al [1997], Brasfield et al [1992], and Lopus and Maxwell [1995] have reached similar conclusions. Based on these studies and the pretest results here, greater care is now taken to build student skills in these areas early in the introductory macroeconomics course by assigning a variety of homework exercises and short quizzes, emphasizing basic microeconomic concepts, graphing, and data computation.…”

Where class size really matters: Class size and student ratings of instructor effectiveness

“…These results are confirmed by Saunders (1980) and Kennedy and Siegfried (1997) using a different outcome measure: scores on the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE) exam. In contrast, using the same data as Kennedy and Sigfried (1997), Lopus and Maxwell (1995) find a positive relationship between class size and student performance on the TUCE III exam. 1 In a similar vein, Raimondo, Esposito, and Gershenberg (1990), find no relationship between introductory microeconomics class size and subsequent performance in intermediate microeconomics, but do find a negative relationship between introductory macroeconomics class size and subsequent performance in intermediate macroeconomics.…”

Teaching Tools: How Is Introductory Economics Taught in America?

“…Based on the same data we use here, Lopus and Maxwell [1995] recently found that the achievement of students in microeconomics principles classes was significantly higher if they first took a course in macro principles. In contrast, they found that performance of students in macroeconomics principles classes was not affected by the students' prior experience in micro principles.…”