Who's Afraid of Their Economics Classes? Why are Students Apprehensive about Introductory Economics Courses? An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

This paper investigates why students are apprehensive about their principles of economics classes. Using data collected on 399 students from a large, midwestem public university in the 1998 academic year, the authors examine whether there are demographic differences in levels of apprehension and what are the reported reasons for apprehension. The study includes a descriptive analysis and a probit analysis and concludes that: (1) course reputation is the main reason reported by students as the reason for being apprehensive; (2) females tend to be more apprehensive than males; and (3) increased math ability reduces apprehension levels for males and females. The authors suggest that preparatory sessions for those students weak in mathematics and alternative teaching methodologies may reduce the level of apprehension in the introductory courses.