Cross-national structure of economic competence: Insights from a German and Russian assessment

In this paper, we present a study, which models and measures the competencies of higher education students in business and economics—within and across countries. To measure student competencies in a valid and reliable way, the Test of Understanding in College Economics was used, which assesses microeconomic and macroeconomic competencies. The test was translated into several languages and adapted for different university contexts. In the presented study, the test contents were also compared with regard to the educational standards and the university curricula in Russia and Germany. Our findings from the cross-national analysis suggest one strong general factor of economic competence, which encompasses micro- and macroeconomic dimensions. This points to a stronger interconnection between learning and understanding economic contents than previous research suggests and indicates far-reaching curricular and instructional consequences for higher education economics as well as needs for further research, which are discussed in this paper.

Economic literacy among beginning higher education economics students in Japan and Germany and its socio-demographic influencing factors

In view of cross-national student mobility and increasing internationalization of the labor market, a common understanding of economic concepts as well as awareness for country-specific factors influencing economics education is essential. Therefore, the development of instruments that allow for comparable investigation across countries is crucial. The present study describes economic education in Japan and Germany and explores the specific conditions for access to higher education in each country. On this basis, we examine the level of economic literacy (using TEL-IV) at the beginning of higher education among 232 German and 198 Japanese students of Business & Economics and the impact of personal influencing factors thereon. Overall, comparable entry levels can be observed, whereby each student group shows different response patterns. Predicting economic literacy, primarily gender and interest reach significance. A final outlook regarding the significance of cross-national studies is given, taking limitations and implications of this study into account.

Adult learning, gender and mobility: Exploring Somali refugee mothers’ literacy development and empowerment through engagement with their children’s education

In this article, I explore Somali refugee mothers’ acts of becoming literate in order to support their children’s educational success. The literature on parent support and involvement makes fleeting reference to the forces of globalisation; it also pays little attention to refugee parents as being agents of, or subject to, such forces. Research into education and development, as it relates to adult learners, focuses mainly on higher education, economics and labour market issues (Kenway & Kelly, 2000; Blackmore, 2014). The local–global dialectic of school–home relationships has a particular bearing on my research into the refugee parent experience. Accordingly, I reason that parents’ engagement with their children’s education is interwoven with their own histories of educational disruption, displacement and mobility. For this reason, I engage with their cultural and historical contexts as tangible influences on their present-day engagement with learning and education. In this narrative enquiry, I researched the life experiences and beliefs about education of four refugee mothers, analysing their testimonies or ‘narratives of political urgency’ (Bernal, Burciaga & Carmona, 2017) in order to probe the intersectionality of gender, language, ethnicity and power. I investigated their personal empowerment and the community cultural wealth that the women accumulated on their journey to becoming literate.

PENGARUH PENDIDIKAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN DAN LINGKUNGAN KELUARGA TERHADAP MINAT WIRAUSAHA (STUDI KASUS MAHASISWA PERGURUAN TINGGI EKONOMI DI PURWAKARTA)

This research has the title "The Influence of Entrepreneurship Education and Family Environment on Entrepreneurial Interest (Case Study of College Students of Economics in Purwakarta)" compiled by Iman Sidik Nusannas. The growing interest in entrepreneurship is determined by many factors. But in this study there are two main factors that are considered to have a major contribution in growing the interest of one's entrepreneurship. In addition, this is strongly influenced by the adequate entry of information about the object of interest. Information on the success of a business raises an understanding to the public that the entrepreneur has a proven prospect of success. This study aims to examine how the Effect of Entrepreneurship Education and Family Environment on Entrepreneurial Interest (Case Study of Higher Education Economics Students In Purwakarta). Data collection was done through distributing questionnaires addressed to 96 students who had attended entrepreneurship education course by using Accidental sampling technique. To test the hypothesis, there are two tests that are T test (partial), F test (simultaneous) with the help of IBM SPSS software version 23. The results showed that the Entrepreneurship Education and Family Environment has a positive effect on Entrepreneurship Interest among students. Keywords : Entrepreneurship Education, Family Environment, and Interests Entrepreneurship

Transforming the economics curriculum by integrating threshold concepts

Purpose – Economics is catering to a diverse student cohort. This cohort needs to be equipped with transformative concepts that students can integrate beyond university. When a curriculum is content-driven, threshold concepts are a useful tool in guiding curriculum re-design. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The evidence for this pedagogic need can be seen in the UK’s higher education economics curriculum framework which is formulated around the threshold concepts of economics. Through a literature review of the application of threshold concepts in economics, the researcher has systematically re-designed an entry-level economics course. This research has been applied to the course structure, the learning and teaching activities, as well as the assessments. At the end of the semester, students students were surveyed on the student experience of the curriculum design and the course activities. The course grades noted the achievement of the students’ learning outcomes. Findings – When comparing the survey responses and the student course results to the previous semesters, there is a significant improvement in student experience as well as student learning outcomes of the course curriculum. Practical implications – This research provides curriculum developers with a benchmark and the tools required to transform economics curricula. Social implications – An engaging, transformative and integrative entry-level economics course is often the only exposure most business graduates have to the economics way of thinking and practice. Originality/value – This is the first comprehensive study that applies a curriculum re-design based on threshold concepts across an entry-level economics course.