ERIC Number: ED236063
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1983-Apr
Pages: 30
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Theoretical Model of Concept Learning in Economics. Studies in Economic Education, No. 10. Revised Edition.
Lephardt, Noreen E.; Lephardt, George P.
A paradigm for learning economic concepts based on cognitive development and learning theory is offered as a guideline for teaching and research. Discussion is divided into two sections. The first section establishes the model's theoretical framework, which is based on two propositions. The first of these is that economic knowledge is not a fixed category but a continuum of three knowledge types. These are: Socially Egocentric Knowledge, experiential knowledge based on a child's exposure to normal economic interactions; Socially Relevant Knowledge, based on wider social awareness of economic events; and Expert Knowledge, grounded in an abstract-theoretical understanding of economic events. The second proposition is that there are three age-correlated levels of economic concept attainment, labled as Concrete-Definitional, Functional-Experiential, and Abstract-Formal. By combining these 2 propositions, a 9-part structure of the economic learning process is formulated. This structure is analyzed, part by part, in section 2. Each part is identified and its learnable concepts, constraints, and corresponding age groups are elaborated. A chart clarifies and summarizes the model. (LP)
Descriptors: Cognitive Development, Cognitive Measurement, Cognitive Processes, Concept Formation, Curriculum Design, Curriculum Research, Developmental Psychology, Developmental Stages, Economics Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Individual Development, Knowledge Level, Learning Readiness, Learning Theories, Models, Schematic Studies
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Wisconsin Univ., La Crosse. Center for Economic Education.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A