Russian Faculty’s Attitudes Toward Using Math in Economics Courses

Alexander Myasnikov - Candidate of Sciences in Economics, Associate Professor, Academic Department of Political Economy and History of Economic Science, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics; Associate Professor, Department of Theoretical Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: amyasnikov@hse.ruSvetlana Seregina - Doctor of Sciences in Economics, Professor, Department of Theoretical Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: sseregina@hse.ruAddress: 20 Myasnitskaya Str., 101000 Moscow, Russian Federation.Opinions of Russian economics professors are highly polarized as to how much mathematics should be used in teaching undergraduate economics. A number of faculty members believe that the use of math should be kept to an absolute minimum, with perhaps only the most basic plots and equations being included in the syllabus. In our study based on a survey of 160 Russian faculty members teaching economics, we analyze the factors behind faculty"s beliefs about the adequacy of students" math skills and whether more or less math should be used in introductory economics courses. Our findings show that most economics professors in Russia consider their students" math skills to be insufficient, for various reasons, while agreeing that math helps learners to get a better grasp of certain aspects of economics. Meanwhile, they find the existing amount of math in introductory economics courses optimal. It appears that professors" views are significantly affected by their own perceptions of the role of mathematics in economics. In addition, there are some differences in opinions on a number of issues between professors in Moscow versus other regions of Russia.