What Kind of Economic Citizen?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Examining Economics Education

Abstract

The authors analyzed popular K-12 economics education materials to assess the type of civic outcomes the materials promoted. Drawing from Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) democratic citizenship framework, the authors developed three archetypes of economic citizenship: personally responsible, participatory, and justice-oriented. The authors use these archetypes to suggest that economics education materials should make their desired civic actions or outcomes more explicit and to demonstrate how the three categories act in complementary fashion. The authors call for economics educators to reflect on how the teaching and learning in their classrooms might create a more holistic form of economic citizenship.

Authors

• Ryan M. Crowley, University of Kentucky

• Kathleen Owings Swan, University of Kentucky