EFFECTS OF INFUSING ECONOMIC AND MARKETING CONCEPTS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN COLLEGIATE-LEVEL BASIC MARKETING COURSES

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of developing the marketing competencies of students by infusing the basic concepts of economics and marketing into the introductory marketing course. The curricular resources for the infusion were the 24 Economic/Marketing (E/M) Learning Activity Packages (LAPs), developed by Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium (IDECC). The study was designed to compare the mean-gain scores of (a) students taught in basic marketing classes by a lecture/textbook method with (b) students who received the infusion of IDECC's E/M LAPs through lecture and transparencies; self-study introductory printed material; and lecture and transparencies with topics sequenced according to the recommendations of IDECC. The nonequivalent control-group design was used because the 77 students in the study represented the four sections of the marketing course, and were thus not selected randomly but were the result of normal registration. The groups were administered a pre-test and a post-test using questions from IDECC's Random Access Test Bank. Post hoc survey was completed on the last day of class to determine the attitudes of students regarding their learning experiences. Major findings and conclusions were that: (1) There was no significant difference in the four groups' mean-gain scores at the .05 level of significance; (2) There was no statistical evidence to indicate a significant difference in learning achievement when students were categorized by degree program and number of econmic and management courses completed; (3) Prior marketing experience, in the concept-infused group which had topics sequenced according to the recommendations of IDECC, made a significant difference in mean-gain scores at the .05 level of significance; (4) Fifty-nine percent of the students who learned economic/marketing concepts through the infusion process positively changed their attitudes toward selecting a career in marketing. This compares to 38 percent in the group taught traditionally; (5) Proper sequencing of economic/marketing concepts within marketing curricula can enhance the learning of researched-based marketing competencies; and (6) The IDECC E/M LAPs instructional delivery system, which has been used predominately in secondary and junior college environments, can become an integral part of marketing curricula in higher education to provide tighter competency fits between the expectations of employers and prospective employees.