A STUDY OF THE PLACE OF OiFKRINOS IN ECONOMICS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

The problem upon which this dissertation is based originates in the scarcity of schools which teach Economics In the senior high school. Estimates of McKee end Monlton, the federal Security Agency, and others, indicate that perhaps fewer than five per cent of the high school students take a couree In Economics. The desire to Inveetlgate existing opinion as to whether Economics should be taught in high school led the author to investigate literature which dealt with the teaching of Economics. This was followed with am investigation of relevant opinions using the survey method. This opinion testing Involved a survey of high school students before and after they had taken a course In Economics, a questionnaire to adults to evaluate subject matter to be presented in Economies, and a survey of recognised teachers In the social studies area. In the survey of adults, the same questionnaire which had previously been used by the National Council for the Advancement of Secondary Education was given to a selected group. Results of the Council and present surveys were compared in order to discover the similarities and differences of opinion where the adults were classified according to special professions or businesses and where they simply represented a cross section of occupations and age groups. The analysis of the results of the adult survey indicates a strong opinion on the part of adults that Economies should be taught in high schools. Adults in both the Council and Kaufman surveys agreed rather closely on the course content which they thought necessary for economic competency. This evidence can be weed by persons involved in curriculum work to consider more critically the advisability of including Economics in the high school curriculum