Design and validation of a perception scale on previous knowledge for students of introduction to microeconomics
Keywords:
teaching of microeconomics, learning, previous knowledge, exploratory factorial analysisAbstract
A growing concern in universities is the low level of prior knowledge with which students access the first subjects of the degree courses. The area of economics in general and microeconomics in particular is no exception. In this paper we present a proposal for a questionnaire aimed at students of introduction to microeconomics, which allows them to explore the previous knowledge with which they arrive at the subject. The ad hoc instrument developed aims to highlight the level of prior knowledge according to the opinion of the students themselves in order to provide a complementary input for a more effective teaching of the subject and to provide a scale of measurement for research that seeks to relate prior knowledge to other variables of interest such as academic performance. We begin with a bibliographical review of the importance of considering students' previous knowledge, describe the phases of development of the instrument and present the results of an exploratory factorial analysis carried out on a sample of 326 students, which indicate that the questionnaire is valid for the proposed objectives.
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