Developing Human Capital in Kazakhstan: An Evaluation of Economic Understanding and Attitudes Toward Market Economics
Mississippi State University Economics Working Paper No. 03-01
26 Pages Posted: 26 May 2003
Date Written: March 2003
Abstract
Economic development experts have recognized the need for the spread of economic literacy in the transition economies of the former Soviet Union. This article presents an analysis of a program designed to enhance economic literacy through teacher training in Kazakhstan. The cognitive and affective outcomes for high school students who were taught by teachers trained through the National Council on Economic Education's (NCEE) International Economic Education Exchange Program (IEEEP) were examined and compared to students in courses taught by a sample of teachers who had not received training. A two equation model was estimated which allowed for the interdependency of economic understanding and attitudes. The results indicate that students taught by trained teachers achieved higher post-course scores on standardized testing instruments, after controlling for differences in student attributes, teacher attributes, and course characteristics. This and other findings suggest that IEEEP training and the distribution of NCEE-developed curriculum materials in Kazakhstan was successful.
Keywords: economic education, international, transition, teachers, curriculum, Kazakhstan
JEL Classification: A20, A21, P21
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation