Learning from Physics Education Research: Lessons for Economics Education

TL;DR

This paper explores how economics education can benefit from physics education research practices, emphasizing learning science principles, shared frameworks, and innovative pedagogies to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

Contribution

It identifies key features of physics education research that can be adapted to enhance economics teaching methods and curriculum design.

Findings

Physics education emphasizes learning science principles and shared frameworks.

Successful physics pedagogies like context-rich problems can be adapted for economics.

Adoption of physics-inspired innovations can improve economics education.

Abstract

We believe that economists have much to learn from educational research practices and related pedagogical innovations in other disciplines, in particular physics education. In this paper we identify three key features of physics education research that distinguish it from economics education research - (1) the intentional grounding of physics education research in learning science principles, (2) a shared conceptual research framework focused on how students learn physics concepts, and (3) a cumulative process of knowledge-building in the discipline - and describe their influence on new teaching pedagogies, instructional activities, and curricular design in physics education. In addition, we highlight four specific examples of successful pedagogical innovations drawn from physics education - context-rich problems, concept tests, just-in-time teaching, and interactive lecture demonstrations - and illustrate how these practices can be adapted for economic education.