As Economics is a new subject to many students in junior college, it is definitely a daunting task for these students in studying of this subject of Economics. Therefore, it is important for students to develop an effective study approach to comprehend ‘A’ level Economics. A simplistic but effective approach of study will include the following areas, namely in terms of comprehension of reading, development of revision notes, nurturing of thinking and application skills and trial practices.
For A Level economics, most junior colleges will provide lecture notes as materials for students to comprehend the knowledge of economic concepts and source of information for application in analysis and evaluation. In this area of learning, the students must able to understand the definitions and process explanation of economic concepts and the areas of evaluation of the concepts. In the reading process of the lecture notes, students need to take note of the conceptualized terms and the explanation and illustration of graphs. It is also important for the students to link different sections of the chapters and the different chapters to make sure that the comprehension of concepts more effective to enhance application.
However, it is important for students to understand that lecture notes are not suitable for students to be used as notes as the aim of the notes is to enhance understanding but may not be effective in helping students prepare for examination. The notes must be developed to make it easier for the student to remember and apply according to the context of the question. In the development of revision notes, students need to know the common and related questions that will be tested in the tests and examinations so that students can make the quick notes in an exam-oriented approach.
In the studying of ‘A’ level economics, the most beneficial aspect of this learning experience is the development of thinking and application skill which is the next area of learning and studying approach. To achieve this, students need to learn how to link knowledge to the context of the discussion and economic issues which will raise the rational thinking of the students which is the essence of learning for economics.
Lastly, the most important aspect in the studying approach for ‘A’ level economics is the need to conduct trial practice of both essay and case-study questions which will ensure that the students are able to work towards the requirement of the examinations in terms of responsiveness towards the adaption of question, the development of structure and logic causation of expression. The trial practices must also be done within time constraint so as to make students able condition their skills under examination context.
