Consumer and Economic Education, K-12: A Comparative Analysis.

Overview & Synopsis

A study was done (1) to delineate the parameters of economic education and consumer education and develop a tool (model) which can be used to assess the focus and content of the two fields at the kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) levels and (2) to assess the model by comparison with the content of teacher and student resources used in developing K-12 economic and consumer education courses or training teachers for these courses. A model drafted by the project staff was submitted to a panel of experts for review and comment three times. These efforts yielded a model that identifies concepts appropriate to the subjects of economic education and consumer education individually and those common to both subjects. The three categories of concepts identified as most significant are resources, markets, and contemporary social issues. An assessment of printed teacher and student resource materials revealed that the model identifies a large number of consumer education concepts which are interfaced with economic education, but that this interface is not recognized in the resources. The conclusions drawn regarding the assessment of resource materials cover the impact on program development, variation among levels, supplementary printed items, treatment of issues, impact on adult functional competence, and most necessary concepts. (EM)