The Use of Cartoons as a Teaching Tool to Enhance Student Learning in Economics Education

Excellent and effective teaching demands a host of devices, techniques and strategies not only to achieve cross critical outcomes, but because variety, itself, is a desideratum. One teaching instrument which perhaps is too seldom used, is the economics cartoon. To encourage this development, learning activities become important. This paper investigates why Economics subject didactics students prescribed to cartoons as a teaching tool to enhance their learning. A survey was conducted to determine the use of cartoons as an effective teaching tool in Economics education. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the six-factor-model shows a reasonable fit, since the two out of three conditions were consistently satisfied for the six-factor-model of this study. Further, interviews revealed that cartoons positively enhanced constructive learning, cooperative learning and collaborative learning amongst peers. Suggestions were made how to use cartoons as technique to creating interest and developing critical thinking and reflective teaching skills in Economics education. motivation towards learning, improved attitudes, productivity, creativity and divergent thinking (Parrott 1994). Other benefits include decreased academic stress and anxiety, boredom and disruptive behaviour (Powell and Andresen 1985). While the effects on learning are clearly of interest, it is suggested that the effects are probably more indirect, particularly in higher education where learning is often seen as a serious, stressful business. There is little doubt that humour, both in pictorial and verbal forms, is useful as a device for gaining and maintaining attention and interest. Ziv (1979) reported results which indicated that if the introduction of a concept is followed by a humorous example, and then an explanation of the concept, test performance is improved. In accepting this argument, it is suggested that humour serves to illustrate, reinforce and make more comprehensible the material being taught (Powell and Andresen 1985). The use of humour, or perhaps its overuse, in teaching has an element of risk and teachers need to be mindful of the possible unintended consequences, particularly of verbal humour. By its very nature, humour may seem antithetical to the seriousness and even solemnity that usually characterizes teaching (Powell and Andresen 1985). Experience of verbal humour suggests that delivery is a real skill, not all students will be