Enhancing student learning and critical thinking through academic controversy in post secondary macroeconomics

There is a lack of student learning and critical thinking skills in post-secondary macroeconomics courses. The literature indicates that the lack of learning outcomes can be attributed to the reliance on traditional lecture and the failure to adopt innovative instructional techniques. The purpose of this study was to investigate the student learning and critical thinking effects of academic controversy, a cooperative learning technique that shows promise in the area of economics instruction.;A quasi-experimental pre-test, posttest, mixed methods design was used to compare a control group which received traditional lecture instruction to a treatment group which received academic controversy lessons. Analysis of the data from the Test of Understanding in College Economics post-test suggested that the use of academic controversy had a positive impact on student learning and critical thinking in post-secondary macroeconomics. When compared to the traditional lecture group, students in the section that received the academic controversy lessons saw a statistically significant increase in student learning and critical thinking, as measured by the raw scores on the cognitive specifications considered to involve critical thinking. Implications of the study include providing a framework for academic controversy which shows promise for improving student learning and critical thinking in post-secondary macroeconomics.