A multi-paradigmatic approach to teaching undergraduate introductory economics courses: An action research study

A decline in the number of economics majors in higher education marked the first half of the 1990s. Scholars proposed that this decline was due to mainstream adherence to a single teaching paradigm within the economics discipline and recommended that a new multi-paradigmatic teaching model (presenting multiple theoretical perspectives) be introduced into the practice of higher education academic economists. The action research study examined the multi-paradigm economic teaching model in the practice of an undergraduate introductory economics course at a community college to determine if the method increased student interest in economics and helped students to master course material. In comparison to a similar introductory economics class not using the multi-paradigmatic teaching model, the study showed that a class utilizing the multi-paradigm teaching method achieved higher levels of student interest in economics and greater mastery of course material.