| Summary: | The article presents a study which reports on the actual sequencing and conceptual content of what is included in various courses offered under the rubric economic education, as reflected by a sampling of schools in the Developmental Economic Education Program. Much of the curriculum building associated with the social studies and economic education during the last 20 years has been guided by the spiraling conceptual approach and its underlying assumption that students could learn any conceptual idea provided its presentation was made in some appropriate manner. Remembering the size and nature of the sample, it appears that concepts which are more abstract, whose understanding is contingent upon' the understanding of prerequisite concepts, and which demand multiple causation thinking appear more often at the most advanced grade levels. Many of the macro concepts fit this description. Given the limited detail presented in the guides and the small number of guides specifically aimed for grades 8-9, it is difficult to assess the level of generalization inherent in the concepts studied at the various grade levels.
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