Effective teaching of economics in higher education: perceptions of students in Ghana

Abstract

Economics education is crucial to the country's socio-economic development. Yet, researchers seem to have paid little attention to studies on effective teaching of Economics in higher education. This study explored university st1ldents' perceptions of effective teaching of Economics in higher education. The research was a descriptive type that employed the cross-sectional survey design. The study respondents comprised 403 students sampled from four public universities in Ghana. A students' evaluation of teachers' effectiveness questionnaire was employed to collect the data. A test of the reliability of the instrument yielded a Cronbach Alpha Reliability index of .813. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (independent sample t-test and structural equation modeling). The findings suggested that students perceived their Economics teachers to be effective in instructional planning and preparation, classroom management, communication and scaffolding of instruction. Results of the structural equation analysis indicated that plmming and preparation, scaffolding of instruction, communication, classroom management, classroom learning environment, and teacher characteristics were significant predictors of effective teaching. The results further showed that effective teaching significantly predicted st1ldents' attitudes and behaviour. The findi ngs addtionally suggested that gender did not influence students' perceptions of effective teaching. The study recommends that Economics teachers' recruitment and deployment should be based on both effectiveness in classroom instructional practices and positive personality traits.