Identifying Some Constraints In First Year Economics Teaching And Learning At A Typical South African University Of Technology

This paper examines possible determinants of economics 1 performance at the Riverside campus of the Durban Institute of Technology. The study finds that high school subjects taken, age and gender are not significantly associated with economics achievement. Learner motivation, however, does appear to be associated with economics performance. Specifically, learners may find it difficult to relate meaningfully to the discipline's real content at least partly as a consequence of the philosophical framework within which it is delivered and partly because they do not have the textbook. A well-designed learner guide and workbook could go some way to demonstrating the relevance of economics and instilling in students more effective learning methods. The result could be a virtuous cycle of improved performance and greater learner motivation. Copyright (c) 2006 The Author. Journal compilation (c) 2006 Economic Society of South Africa.