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Recent Trends And New Evidence In Economics And Finance Education

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

The teaching of pre-college economics has been widely researched for over 45 years with studies focused upon teacher training and improving students’ understanding. This paper reviews that research base, and reports the results of a new national survey, as well as a summary of several recent developments in the field of economic education. Young people can learn economics best when taught by knowledgeable teachers using well developed curriculum materials. But, to accommodate expanding state requirements, pertinacious state bureaucracies must increase teacher training and curriculum standards.

The Effectiveness Of Casual Group Learning In Introductory Finance Tutorials

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

Many universities require introductory financial management for undergraduate business majors. This study measures whether classroom study groups have a more positive effect on student perceptions and performance than traditional teacher driven classes. As an alternative to traditional tutorial teaching, Classroom Study Groups is an application of casual group learning and is consistent with Constructivist learning theories. The study reports significant differences between the two approaches, with student engagement and satisfaction reported at higher levels amongst those students involved in the traditional, teacher-led approach, and no significant difference between the two in regard to student performance. Interesting relationships are found between …

Testing Equity Portfolios For Alpha Bias: An Exercise For Student Investment Funds

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

We present an exercise that that guides students through the rationale and techniques for identifying and correcting for alpha bias in the reported performance of equity portfolios. The exercise is particularly relevant for Student Investment Fund programs that invest actual money, as the historical performance of the class portfolio can be used in the activity, which creates an additional level of engagement for students. Students learn why portfolios that emphasize smallcapitalization and/or value stocks tend to display a positive alpha bias (overstating performance), and why portfolios that emphasize largecapitalization and/or growth stocks tend to display a negative alpha bias (understating …

Teaching Bond Valuation: A Differential Approach Demonstrating Duration And Convexity

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

A traditional bond pricing scheme used in introductory finance texts is simple enough but not necessarily intuitive. The differential approach suggested here presents premiums (discounts) as coupon interest over- (under-) payments to make bond pricing dynamics more intuitive. The primary pedagogic benefit is the differential approach demonstrates the more sophisticated bond valuation concepts of duration and convexity.

Is There A Link Between Performance In International Economics Courses And Academic Success?

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This paper uses a sample of 6,470 students and Maximum Likelihood Estimation to determine the relationship between grades received in international economics courses and academic success of business majors. The results indicate that the grades earned in international economics courses as well as the number of international economics courses are significant and positive determinants of students’ final GPA.

A Spreadsheet Application To Evaluate The Performance Of Protective Puts

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This paper presents a spreadsheet application for performance evaluation of three put strategies adopted in practice. In contrast to the single-period protective put found in finance textbooks, these strategies roll over short maturity options over an extended period. The spreadsheet application provides the instructor with a pedagogical tool to illustrate and explain the measurement of insurance costs, the asymmetric impact of the options on the return distribution of the stock, the impact of exercise price on downside protection and upside reduction, and the dependence of the return on the put strategy on the stock price path.

A Probabilistic Model For Measuring Stock Returns And The Returns From Playing Lottery Tickets: The Basis Of An Instructional Activity

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

Many individuals indicate that playing the lottery is a legitimate way to generate wealth, including retirement savings. We offer a methodology designed to create interactive learning activities comparing the results of playing the lottery versus investing in stocks to create wealth. To emphasize the stochastic nature of investment and lottery returns, we employ a Monte Carlo simulation that draws from probability distributions created from lottery payoffs and historical stock returns. The model results demonstrate, visually and numerically that stock investments generally outperform the lottery in generating wealth.

A Brief Introduction To Marginal Analysis For The Micro-Economics Principles Course

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This brief note provides a simple, yet powerful example of how the marginal cost/marginal benefit principle can be used in everyday life. Using the decision of the optimal choice of speed on the highway, this note was developed for use as one of the first readings in an introductory microeconomics course. It is clear in this demonstration that marginal cost is increasing, while marginal benefit is decreasing, and how the intersection of these two curves shows the optimal choice. In addition, shifts in the curves can easily be demonstrated as an introduction to supply and demand.

Breath Back, Bronte Alston

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Breath Back is a collection of poems written throughout the first 18 months of a doctoral study based in the petro-state of Western Australia. As a Wadjela (non-Indigenous) climate justice activist-researcher, Alston adopts poetic autoethnography as an embodied, intuitive praxis to critically and reflexively examine limitations, positionality, power, privilege, and voice throughout their research process. This collection is deeply intertwined with Alston’s deepening connection to Country, specifically through the seasonal cycles of Wardandi Noongar Boodja (Country) in south-west Western Australia.

Considering Context In Latent Models Of Externalizing: Measurement Invariance By Environmental And Systemic Disadvantage In System-Involved Youth, Kendall D. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Externalizing forms of psychopathology are said to result from a general liability towards impulsive and disruptive behaviors, including substance use, conduct problems, aggression, and antisocial behavior (Krueger et al., 2021). While the field often focuses on dispositional explanations of externalizing behaviors, there is a notable lack of attention to the contextual factors that contribute to these behaviors, beyond immediate environmental influences. This study uses Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) as a framework to address such gaps in the context of behavioral indicators of the latent externalizing (EXT) construct, an analysis with implications for understanding racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. The present …

Yield-To-Maturity And The Reinvestment Of Coupon Payments

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This note addresses a common misconception, found in investment texts and popular investment education literature, that in order to earn the yield to maturity on a coupon bond an investor must reinvest the coupon payments. We identify a sample of text and professional sources making this claim, demonstrate that yield to maturity entails no assumption of coupon reinvestment, discuss a cause for this confusion and offer a possible remedy.

Yield To Maturity Is Always Received As Promised

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This note comments on a misconception that yield to maturity from holding a coupon bond until maturity is only promised, but not really received, unless coupon payments are reinvested at the same rate as the (original) yield to maturity. It shows that yield to maturity is always earned no matter how coupon payments are allocated – spent or reinvested at any rate. It illuminates that the realized compounding yield in fact measures the yield to maturity from a combination of two investments rather from simply holding the bond itself until maturity.

The Influence Of University Investment Education On Asset Allocation

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

Using survey data from students at three universities, we examine the influence of an Investments Analysis course on student perception of the ideal asset allocation for a retirement portfolio. Consistent with previous studies that examine financial education in the workplace, a critical outcome of university investment education is the apparent alleviation of a conservative bias that is typically prevalent among uninformed investors. This change results in an increasing willingness to take larger stock positions, which produces higher expected returns and larger portfolio betas. Most importantly, however, the net effect is more efficient portfolios, particularly for those students who begin with …

Math Skills And Everyday Problem Solving

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

Given the importance of mathematics to economic education, we administer a test of basic math skills to 696 students enrolled in various college economics courses in order to understand the factors influencing a student’s ability to apply basic math skills in practical settings. Students with strong elementary math skills perform significantly better in applied contexts and we find that taking more math classes in college improves a student’s ability to apply mathematics substantially. Interestingly, our results suggest that students with greater personal financial responsibility in funding their education do significantly better in understanding and applying basic math skills.

Financial Industry Certification Preparation And “Teaching To The Test”

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This paper addresses two aspects of offering finance certification training programs at the university level. During the spring term 2006, Southern New Hampshire University offered (in conjunction with a large, diversified financial services company) a finance elective course to prepare students to sit for the FINRA Series 7 General Securities Registered Representative Examination. Firstly, the paper provides a brief background on developing a specialized academic course working in cooperation with a corporate entity. Secondly, the paper explores the academic ramifications of delivering the course in a “teaching to the test” format instead of a more typical academic course delivery.

Collusion And Stock Offerings: A Classroom Exercise For Economics And Finance Classes

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

Collusion-based lawsuits surrounding initial and seasoned offerings have been a reoccurring phenomenon. This paper offers a classroom exercise for economics and finance courses that allows students to experience the collusion phenomenon. This is achieved through simulating how underwriters and preferred clients participate in schemes of buying and selling shares of a new stock issue in order to make exorbitant profits. Students experience the consequences when excessive investor demand is not tempered with an understanding of how earning fundamentals determine security value. Most importantly, students gain insight into the ethical responsibilities of those involved in the security issuance process.

Cv: Esther Nieves (Social Work), Esther Nieves

Social Work Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Reinventing Islamic Pilgrimage In Jogokariyan Mosque, Indonesia, Ahmad Izudin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Indonesian Muslims have a longstanding tradition of visiting holy sites as part of Islamic pilgrimages. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in mosques as popular destinations for spiritual journeys and meditation. This shift could potentially impact local communities and may lead to the development of new pilgrimage routes within the context of spiritual exploration. However, this paper examines the Jogokariyan Mosque in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, which has become a significant stop on the Islamic pilgrimage route. The author utilises a case study approach, collecting data through observation, interviews, and documentation. The study highlights that a mosque, as the material objective …

Developing Transformative Pilgrimage Tourism: Seeing The Relationship Between Stakeholders In Religion-Based Tourism Practices In Quds, Indonesia, I Nyoman Ruja

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The growing transformation of the pilgrimage tourism sector worldwide cannot be separated from relations between community groups, pilgrims and the tourism industry. This research analyses the relationships between stakeholders involved in faith-based tourism practices in Quds, Indonesia. Through a qualitative approach, we investigate, in Quds the interactions and relationships of multiple parties involved in the religious tourism industry, including pilgrims, government, local communities and related institutions. This research collects data through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The results show that stakeholder relationships significantly create a sustainable religious tourism experience in Quds. Collaboration between pilgrims, the government and local …

Inventing New Pilgrimage And Religious Tourism In Lombok, Indonesia, Ujang Mahadi, Moch. Khafidz Fuad Raya, Aibdi Rahmat, Jonsi Hunadar, Rindom Harahap

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In the contemporary Muslim world, especially in Indonesia, the boom in religious tourism is increasingly widespread after the discovery of the grave sites of saints (wali) or people who are considered holy. More than that, pilgrimage is increasingly popular when these sites display natural views and multifaceted aspects, thereby adding to the intimacy of Islamic meditation and veneration rituals. This article focuses on five holy tombs in Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), considered tombs of Muslim saints. Using ethnography with observational techniques and unstructured interviews, we explore the construction of veneration and the marketing efforts of pilgrimages to the …

Conceptualising Sacred Grove Tourism For Future Research Models - A Research Note, Debasish Batabyal, Rupa Sinha Dr., Kareem M. Selem Dr.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Sacred groves or woodlands are known in tourism settings, they require a long historical process, and their classification as a unique tourism element is expanded in academic literature. To explore the characteristic features of sacred grove tourism, this research note reviews existing studies of tourism. Moreover, this research note seeks to uncover interesting socio-religious, cultural, and conservation dimensions that could guide policy-making in nature-based tourism. A comprehensive review of the tourism literature was conducted to determine whether sacred groves were included as a tourism feature. This research analysed previous studies on nature-based, religious, and cultural heritage tourism to formulate a …

The Correlation Between Spiritual Tourism And Mental Health Of Young People In Binh Duong, Vietnam, Anh Nguyen

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

While researchers are in agreement about the positive relationship between spiritual activities (SAs) and mental health (MH) among the general population, the relationship between spiritual tourism (ST) and MH, particularly among young adults, is yet to be adequately investigated. As such, this research was conducted to determine the contribution of ST towards the MH of the younger generation. The respondents are undergraduate students located in Vietnam’s industrial province of Binh Duong. The findings, from the quantitative research approach, indicate that young people perceive ST mainly as a means for visiting places of worship, with little consideration for the MH benefits …

Recalibrating The Risk Of False Confession Wrongful Convictions: Interrogation Tactics And Inverse Probability, Scott M. Mourtgos, Ian T. Adams

Faculty Publications

False confession wrongful convictions (FCWCs) are a serious failure of the criminal justice system. Although scholars have identified interrogation tactics thought to elevate this risk, existing research rarely estimates the population-level probability that legally permissible methods will produce an FCWC. Instead, inference relies on outcome-selected case series and laboratory diagnosticity ratios that ignore base rates and the far larger universe of interrogations without false confessions. This article offers a methodological recalibration. We formalize the outcome-selection problem and apply inverse probability logic to derive posterior FCWC risk integrating base rates, sensitivity, and specificity. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we synthesize available empirical …

Boiling A Frog: Pre-Adaptive Processes And Prison Riot Dynamics, Hayden P. Smith

Faculty Publications

This study explores the adaptive mechanisms and survival strategies deployed by incarcerated individuals during the Lee Prison Riot of April 15, 2018. Drawing solely on in-depth interviews with 25 incarcerated men (predominantly Black, aged 25–61) at Lee Correctional Institution, and utilizing the importation and deprivation models as analytical frameworks, the analysis reveals that early-life trauma, neighborhood disruption, and the construction of survival pride significantly shape inmate adaptation. In particular, the research documents how inmates are channeled into “high‑alpha dorms” where collective violence becomes both predictable and deeply ambiguous, and where post‑riot behaviors signal the emergence of a “new normal” in …

Stories From Former Foster Youth College Graduates: The Positive Impact Of K-12 Schooling And Related Educational Policy, Amanda Moon, Kristen D. Seay

Faculty and Staff Publications

Youth in foster care face disproportionate challenges when it comes to education and personal well-being. Many studies use a deficit lens when evaluating these challenges. In contrast, this study is asset-based, centering first-person accounts from five former foster youth college graduates. Using a counter-narrative framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews with participants to reveal key supports in K-12 schooling participants believed helped them achieve academic and life milestones. These were relationships with teachers and coaches, access to extracurricular activities, and literacy-rich environments. We also reviewed 11 relevant federal educational policies to identify provisions and implementation needs that aligned with participant experiences. …

Where Do Latinos Live In The New York City Metropolitan Area? Changing Settlement Patterns, 2000 - 2024, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

This report shows that between 2000 and 2024, the Latino population of the New York metropolitan area increased by 48% from 3,592,542 to 5,316,472 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Along with population expansion, there was a decisive change in settlement patterns among all Latinos, which, in fact, began before 2000. This was the decline of New York City as the major area of the Latino population concentration, although there were differentiations by nationality.

In 2000, 60% of all Latinos in the region lived in the City. By 2024, this had declined to 46%. And while the City’s Latino population …

Black Swans And Safety Nets: Food Aid, Dispersal, And Eugenics In Corbin Hollow, Glenn Davis Stone, Richard K. Robinson

Southern Anthropologist

No abstract provided.

2026, Aca Camp Research Forum Book Of Abstracts, American Camp Association

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

This book includes 20 abstracts that will be presented at the 2026 American Camp Association (ACA) Research Forum to be held during the ACA annual conference from February 17-20, 2026, in San Diego, California. Abstracts have been grouped into similar areas and will be presented across five verbal sessions (i.e., camper outcomes, specialty programming, camp staffing, camp administration, and medical/health for youth and families) and one poster session.

Assessing Abuse And Neglect In U.S. Nursing Homes: A Comparative Analysis Across Pre-, During, And Post-Pandemic Periods, Katherine Gane

Theses and Dissertations

Nursing homes are among the most closely regulated providers in the U.S. healthcare system, with both federal and state agencies working together to monitor care and help protect residents. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, introduced unprecedented challenges for facilities and survey agencies alike, disrupting normal operations, limiting in-person visits, and temporarily shifting regulatory priorities. The purpose of this study was to examine how these pandemic-related disruptions were reflected in the severity and reporting patterns of substantiated abuse and neglect deficiencies in U.S. nursing homes. Using publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), this study analyzed 39,607 …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Motivations For Homeschooling Among Black Americans, Portia J. Witt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the motivations and lived experiences of African American homeschooling families. Twelve Black parents from multiple states participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) Modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method and coded thematically using NVivo. Nine themes emerged: autonomy, holistic education, community belonging, online networks, public resources, curriculum gaps, personal values, effective learning, and legacy of harm. While racialization in schools—including tracking, microaggressions, and misidentification—contributed to participants’ decisions, motivations also reflected intersectional factors such as faith, disability, mental health needs, giftedness, and a desire for cultural protection and flexible learning. Findings suggest homeschooling serves as a …