Freyberg, PeterHaigh, NeilKatterns, RobertOrere-Clifford, Samuel D.2026-04-012026-04-011985https://hdl.handle.net/10289/18174The nature of teaching and learning continues to elude educators and researchers despite over half a century of research in teaching and learning. The central problem seems to be how teachers should practise their profession to facilitate student learning. In this regard, there has been several suggestions such as developing certain teacher personality attributes (Ryans, 1960), special teaching behavioural techniques (Rosenshine, 1976a) and the child-centered education of Piaget (1966) and Ausubel (1968). More recently, studies such as the Learning in Science Project of the University of Waikato (e.g., Osborne, 1981a) have drawn attention to the suggestion that children tend to develop misconceptions about scientific phenomena in the classroom. It is felt this could be due to teachers not tapping and relating new material to children’s previous knowledge and cognitive structures. This study sought to examine the suggestions of the Learning in Science Project as described above with regards to Economics. The investigation was therefore aimed at uncovering the Economics ideas Sixth and Seventh Formers generated about certain Economics concepts after lessons. It also investigated the nature of conceptions held by their teachers for the same concepts. The method of investigation included both qualitative and quantitative features. A qualitative approach was used to uncover the ideas held by a small sample of students. This was then reduced into a survey format and administered to a large sample of students and teachers. The findings of the study suggest that Sixth and Seventh Form Economics Students possess conceptions of Economics not generally acceptable to Economists. This substantiates the suggestion of the Learning in Science Project that learners tend to develop misconceptions about phenomena introduced in the classroom. However, the findings of the study also indicate that the teachers of the students also possess misconceptions about Economics concepts. The suggestion is therefore made that students’ misconceptions about Economics concepts may not necessarily be due to teachers not taking students’ past knowledge into account, but to the possibility that teachers may be introducing misconceptions about Economics concepts in the classroom. The study, therefore, suggests that teaching and learning may be enhanced if teachers take stock of the state of their knowledge of subject matter constantly and also introduce concepts to students in such a way as to retain the meanings of experts.enAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.Thesis