Digital simulation tools as a means of developing students' economic thinking

Digital simulation tools — business simulators, spreadsheet-based models, and simulation modelling environments — are increasingly penetrating economic education, yet empirical evidence of their effectiveness for developing economic thinking remains fragmented and often contradictory. The purpose of the work presented in the article is to experimentally verify the impact of a set of digital simulation tools on undergraduate students’ economic thinking. A quasi-experimental design was applied: the experimental group (n = 34) studied economics using a business simulator, Monte Carlo spreadsheet models, and GeoGebra; the control group (n = 32) followed a traditional format. Assessment was conducted with the author’s Economic Thinking Test (ETT-24, four scales, Cronbach’s α = 0.84). The results showed a statistically significant advantage for the experimental group in the total score (U = 254, p < 0.001, r = 0.51) and in each of the four scales. The largest effect was found for the «Financial Modelling» scale (r = 0.44). A motivation questionnaire revealed higher engagement among the experimental group (U = 298, p < 0.001). Correlation analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between time spent in the simulator and economic thinking gains (rs = 0.58, p < 0.001). Didactic conditions for integrating digital simulations into economic education and study limitations are discussed in the article.

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