Department of Economics

This study examined the effect of university students’ expectations for their end of termeconomics grades on persistence rates in the undergraduate major. The study also looked for any gender effects. Students’ expectations in introductory microeconomics were statistically significant in predicting grades and retention in introductory microeconomics, but not in whether or not students would take another economics class. Controlling for introductory economics grades, students’ expectations in intermediate microeconomics were not statistically significant in predicting grades in the course or persistence in the major. The only significant gender differences were that females performed slightly worse in introductory microeconomics, and that they expected lower grades in intermediate economics.