The Impact of Problem Sets on Student Learning

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the role of problem sets on student learning and satisfaction in university microeconomics. 126 students participated in the study in consecutive years. Independent samples t-test shows that students who were not given answer keys outperformed students who were given answer keys. Multiple regression analysis demonstrates that, along with high school percentiles and student major, problem set with or without answer key significantly explains student learning in economics. The authors discuss the role of answer keys and their implications for teaching university economics courses.

Keywords: Student Learning, Microeconomics, Problem Sets, Student Evaluation

JEL Classification: A22, C92, I21