| Need for the Study. A review of literature revealed the importance of and the need for economic education in mid-management programs in community/junior colleges in Texas. The review of related literature also indicated that no agreement existed as to the minimum economic understandings needed by graduates of mid-management programs in community/junior colleges. Therefore, this investigation was conducted to determine necessary economic concepts needed by these graduates, as perceived by mid-management advisory committee members, mid-management coordinators/instructors, and economics instructors.;Methodology. The subjects in this study consisted of individuals involved in two-year mid-management programs in 51 community/junior colleges in Texas. These individuals were 150 mid-management advisory committee members (as business persons) and 120 mid-management coordinators/instructors and 48 economics instructors (as educators). A researcher-developed questionnaire, soliciting data concerning demographic information and economic concepts, was mailed to these individuals. Subjects rated the economic concepts on a scale of 5 to 1 (with 5 being the highest). Data were analyzed by frequency analysis, factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, and multiple regression approach to discriminant analysis.;Findings. (1) Considering responses of the (average of) all 198 subjects, all 34 economic concepts were rated moderately important or higher. (2) The mid-management advisory committee members rated all economic concepts extremely important, very important, or moderately important except "Equilibrium Analysis," item 22, which was rated slightly lower than moderately important. (3) The mid-management coordinators/instructors rated all economic concepts extremely important, very important, or moderately important except items (5), externalities; (14) equilibrium analysis (microeconomic concept); and (22), equilibrium analysis (macroeconomic concept). These were rated slightly lower than moderately important. (4) Economics instructors rated all 34 economic concepts higher than "moderately important." (5) A significant F-ratio of 5.04 (p < .01), indicated that the three individual groups in this study differed significantly overall based on seven factors/dependent variables. (6) Economics instructors differed from both mid-management advisory committee members and mid-management coordinators/instructors based on the following dependent variables: BMM, basic macroeconomic model (policy analysis and money); MAM, marginal analysis (market); RMT, related macroeconomic topics; and PMG, profit maximization and government. Economics instructors rated variables BMM and MAM higher than variables RMT and PMG, while the other two groups rated variables BMM and MAM lower than variables RMT and PMG.;Conclusions. (1) There was a significant difference among the perceptions of the three individual groups overall as to the minimum economic understandings needed by community/junior college graduates in mid-management. (2) None of the original 34 economic concepts were rated "unimportant" or "slightly important" by the respondents; if fact, the majority of these economic concepts were rated higher than "moderately important.". |
