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How Gender and Primary Language Influence the Acquisition of Economic Knowledge of Secondary School Students in the United States and Germany

Author

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  • Roland Happ

    (Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Institute of Business and Economics Education, Leipzig University, 04109 Leipzig, Germany)

  • Susanne Schmidt

    (Department of Law, Business & Economics, Institute of Business and Economics Education, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany)

  • Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia

    (Department of Law, Business & Economics, Institute of Business and Economics Education, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany)

  • William Walstad

    (Department of Economics College of Business, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0489, USA)

Abstract

Economics has become an essential component of secondary school curricula in many countries as a result of the growing awareness that young adults need fundamental economic knowledge to manage their personal finances. Accordingly, an increasing number of comparative studies are being conducted of commonalities and differences in students’ economic knowledge and its most decisive influencing factors within and across countries. In this study, we compare the performance of secondary school students in the United States (N = 3517) and Germany (N = 983) on the fourth version of the Test of Economic Literacy. We investigate two personal characteristics that have been found to influence the students’ acquisition of economic knowledge: gender and primary language. Although these two characteristics have been considered in numerous studies of economic education in both countries, they have not been investigated together in an international comparison, which would allow more effective pedagogical approaches for economic education to be formulated. We found male students in both countries exhibited greater economic knowledge, and students whose primary language was the same as the national language performed better. We discuss implications for economic education in both countries and cross-nationally.

Suggested Citation

  • Roland Happ & Susanne Schmidt & Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia & William Walstad, 2023. "How Gender and Primary Language Influence the Acquisition of Economic Knowledge of Secondary School Students in the United States and Germany," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jjrfmx:v:16:y:2023:i:3:p:160-:d:1084658
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amanda Bayer & David W. Wilcox, 2019. "The unequal distribution of economic education: A report on the race, ethnicity, and gender of economics majors at U.S. colleges and universities," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 299-320, July.
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    3. Betsey Stevenson & Hanna Zlotnik, 2018. "Representations of Men and Women in Introductory Economics Textbooks," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 108, pages 180-185, May.
    4. Mofareh Alqahtani, 2015. "The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught," International Journal of Teaching and Education, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences, vol. 3(3), pages 21-34, September.
    5. Charles Ballard & Marianne Johnson, 2005. "Gender, Expectations, And Grades In Introductory Microeconomics At A Us University," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(1), pages 95-122.
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