IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ireced/v44y2023ics1477388023000130.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Economic Statistics Skills Assessment (ESSA)

Author

Listed:
  • McKee, Douglas
  • Orlov, George

Abstract

In this paper, we document the design, development, and validation of a new multiple-choice assessment created to test student knowledge and understanding of probability and statistics concepts used in economics. High quality measures of student skills and understanding are useful for course and program evaluation, analysis of pedagogical innovation, and identifying misconceptions and gaps in students’ prerequisite knowledge in more advanced courses. Alternatives such as final examinations often do not provide the desired coverage and are difficult to compare across terms and institutions, and student evaluations of teaching (SETs) may reflect student sentiment rather than the quality of instruction and overall student learning. Until now, the only standard assessment appropriate for undergraduate economics courses was the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE), which tests introductory economics knowledge.

Suggested Citation

  • McKee, Douglas & Orlov, George, 2023. "The Economic Statistics Skills Assessment (ESSA)," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ireced:v:44:y:2023:i:c:s1477388023000130
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100272
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477388023000130
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100272?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Allgood, Sam & Bayer, Amanda, 2016. "Measuring College Learning in Economics," MPRA Paper 85104, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Fumiko Samejima, 1973. "A comment on Birnbaum's three-parameter logistic model in the latent trait theory," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 38(2), pages 221-233, June.
    3. Braga, Michela & Paccagnella, Marco & Pellizzari, Michele, 2014. "Evaluating students’ evaluations of professors," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 71-88.
    4. Walstad, William B & Becker, William E, 1994. "Achievement Differences on Multiple-Choice and Essay Tests in Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 193-196, May.
    5. Steven C. Myers & Michael A. Nelson & Richard W. Stratton, 2011. "Assessment of the Undergraduate Economics Major: A National Survey," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 195-199, June.
    6. William B. Walstad & Ken Rebeck, 2008. "The Test of Understanding of College Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(2), pages 547-551, May.
    7. Stephen Buckles & John J. Siegfried, 2006. "Using Multiple-Choice Questions to Evaluate In-Depth Learning of Economics," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(1), pages 48-57, January.
    8. Friederike Mengel & Jan Sauermann & Ulf Zölitz, 2019. "Gender Bias in Teaching Evaluations," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 17(2), pages 535-566.
    9. Ernesto San Martín & Jean-Marie Rolin & Luis Castro, 2013. "Identification of the 1PL Model with Guessing Parameter: Parametric and Semi-parametric Results," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 78(2), pages 341-379, April.
    10. Bottan, Daria & McKee, Douglas & Orlov, George & McDougall, Anna, 2022. "Racial and gender achievement gaps in an economics classroom," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    11. William E. Becker & William Bosshardt & Michael Watts, 2012. "How Departments of Economics Evaluate Teaching," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(3), pages 325-333, July.
    12. William Bosshardt & Michael Watts, 2001. "Comparing Student and Instructor Evaluations of Teaching," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(1), pages 3-17, January.
    13. George Orlov & Douglas McKee & Irene R. Foster & Daria Bottan & Stephanie R. Thomas, 2021. "Identifying Students at Risk Using a New Math Skills Assessment," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 97-101, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Douglas McKee & Steven Zhu & George Orlov, 2023. "Econ-assessments.org: Automated Assessment of Economics Skills," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 49(1), pages 4-14, January.
    2. Angelo Antoci & Irene Brunetti & Pierluigi Sacco & Mauro Sodini, 2021. "Student evaluation of teaching, social influence dynamics, and teachers’ choices: An evolutionary model," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 325-348, January.
    3. Buurman, Margaretha & Delfgaauw, Josse & Dur, Robert & Zoutenbier, Robin, 2020. "When do teachers respond to student feedback? Evidence from a field experiment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    4. Gorry, Devon, 2017. "The impact of grade ceilings on student grades and course evaluations: Evidence from a policy change," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 133-140.
    5. Radchenko, Natalia, 2020. "Biases in Student Evaluations of Teaching: An American Case Study," IZA Discussion Papers 13603, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Ishuan Li & Robert Simonson, 2016. "Capstone senior research course in economics," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(2), pages 161-167, April.
    7. W. Robert Reed & Stephen Hickson, 2011. "More Evidence on the Use of Constructed-Response Questions in Principles of Economics Classes," International Review of Economic Education, Economics Network, University of Bristol, vol. 10(2), pages 28-49.
    8. Friederike Mengel & Jan Sauermann & Ulf Zölitz, 2019. "Gender Bias in Teaching Evaluations," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 17(2), pages 535-566.
    9. Michela Braga & Marco Paccagnella & Michele Pellizzari, 2016. "The Impact of College Teaching on Students’ Academic and Labor Market Outcomes," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(3), pages 781-822.
    10. Michela Braga & Marco Paccagnella & Michele Pellizzari, 2014. "The academic and labor market returns of university professors," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 981, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    11. Li, Ishuan & Simonson, Robert D., 2016. "The value of a redesigned program and capstone course in economics," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 48-58.
    12. Rodríguez, Rosa & Rubio, Gonzalo, 2016. "Teaching quality and academic research," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 10-27.
    13. Palali, Ali & van Elk, Roel & Bolhaar, Jonneke & Rud, Iryna, 2018. "Are good researchers also good teachers? The relationship between research quality and teaching quality," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 40-49.
    14. Rieger, Matthias & Voorvelt, Katherine, 2016. "Gender, ethnicity and teaching evaluations: Evidence from mixed teaching teamsAuthor-Name: Wagner, Natascha," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 79-94.
    15. Anna Salomons & Maarten Goos, 2014. "Measuring Teaching Quality in Higher Education: Assessing the Problem of Selection Bias in Course Evaluations," Working Papers 14-16, Utrecht School of Economics.
    16. Kuhn, Christiane & Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, Olga & Brückner, Sebastian & Saas, Hannes, 2018. "A new video-based tool to enhance teaching economics," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 24-33.
    17. Keng, Shao-Hsun, 2020. "Gender bias and statistical discrimination against female instructors in student evaluations of teaching," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    18. Martin Flegl & Robert Hlavatý, 2022. "Understanding transitions in professors’ evaluation: the application of Markov chain," OPSEARCH, Springer;Operational Research Society of India, vol. 59(1), pages 304-323, March.
    19. Franklin G. Mixon & Richard J. Cebula (ed.), 2014. "New Developments in Economic Education," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 15538.
    20. Elizabeth Ooi, 2020. "Give mind to the gap: Measuring gender differences in financial knowledge," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 931-950, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economics; Statistics; Assessment; Concept inventory;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A2 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics
    • C1 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ireced:v:44:y:2023:i:c:s1477388023000130. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-review-of-economics-education .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.