Title: Learning by comparison: the benefits and challenges of applying pluralism to a lesson series in the IB Diploma Programme Economics course

Authors: Pim de Ridder

Addresses: St. John's International School, Drève Richelle 146, 1410 Waterloo, Belgium; Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands

Abstract: The aggregate demand-aggregate supply model lends itself well to the incorporation of pluralistic elements such as alternative economic theories, an interdisciplinary approach, and using real-world examples of marginalised communities. These elements were incorporated into a 14-hour-long lesson series that adhered to the secondary-school International Baccalaureate standard economics syllabus. It was taught at the International School of Riga in Latvia. The participating students were thus required to use higher order thinking skills. The benefits and challenges of this lesson series were evaluated by an expert group, a student self-evaluation, and a summative test solely on the content of the standard syllabus. The inclusion of pluralism was well-received by both students and experts. The results, however, imply that stronger students benefited from its inclusion while weaker students become confused and performed worse.

Keywords: pluralism; economics education; International Baccalaureate; AS-AD model.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPEE.2022.131143

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2022 Vol.13 No.4, pp.346 - 358

Received: 03 Nov 2022
Accepted: 05 Mar 2023
Published online: 31 May 2023 *

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