Conclusions
The results indicate that teaching a financial curriculum
such as Money Talks does seem to improve the
financial literacy level of high school students. Selfreported
data indicate that both financial knowledge
and appropriate behavior increased after participation
in Money Talks. The students also learned valuable
information about car insurance, a consumer purchase
decision that they will likely have to make at this stage
of their lives.
A number of financial behaviors changed after
participation in the program. Increased scores on the
saving scale indicate that saving attitudes and
behaviors improved after the teens took part in this
program. The participants also demonstrated better
choices when shopping—they were more likely to
compare prices and wait until items were on sale after
using Money Talks. The subjects were also more
knowledgeable about ways to decrease the costs of
auto insurance—a major expense for young people.
The data in this study highlight issues of importance
for financial educators. About half of the teens studied
reported not having a savings account. Although not
statistically significant, only 41% of Hispanic students
had savings accounts compared to 59% of the nonHispanic
white teens. It is important that teachers and
educators who work closely with teens and adolescents
emphasize the value of savings accounts with all
students, especially as it concerns Hispanics.
Financial Counseling and Planning, Volume 16 (1), 2005
70 ©2005, Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
Not surprisingly, the females in this study reported
talking to their families about money more than the
males. The males, however, had a greater increase in
knowledge after completing the materials. This may
indicate that females talk to their families more about
money, obtaining financial knowledge at home, while
the males tend to learn more from educational
programs.
It should be noted that the mean score for talking to
family was lower on the post-test than the pre-test.
Even though this difference is not significant, it may
indicate that while the teens are learning about money
in a classroom setting, they may talk less with their
families because they are getting their questions
answered in the classroom rather than at home. As
educators, it will be important to encourage the teens to
continue talking with their families about what they are
learning about money. This should help the teens as
well as the parents. This suggestion is supported by a
nationwide survey conducted by the Northwestern
Mutual Financial Network that looked at how parents
are teaching their children about money (NMFN,
2004). Another possibility is that this type of program
does not impact this aspect of parent/child interaction.
Other means may be necessary to increase
communication.
One of the limitations of the study was the selection of
the sample. Teachers self-selected to participate and
only those students who took the permission slip home
for parental signature were included in the study. As a
result, the sample is not truly unbiased. To overcome
this, the curriculum needs to be tested with teens where
self-selection is not an issue. This will be difficult to
accomplish as Human Subjects Review requires a
signed participation approval statement from parents.
Another limitation of the study was that the amount of
time the teachers spent teaching the materials varied
based on how much class time the teacher could devote
to the topic. Additionally, the delivery period varied
with some presenting all the material in one week
while others presented the material once a week.
These limitations are difficult to overcome when
different groups of students are selected for sampling.
This study illustrates that it is possible to improve the
financial literacy of teens in order to prepare them for
the financial demands of the future. To accomplish
this, financial management needs to be integrated into
high school curriculum as an important step to ensure
future financial success of today's teens. “Just as our
schools do not teach children to read without first
teaching them the letters of the alphabet or to do long
division without first teaching them to count, the same
should hold true for financial education” (U.S.
Department of the Treasury OFE, 2002).
Historically, a higher priority has been given to
teaching financial education by incorporating these
concepts into math and English curriculum. However,
within the last twenty years, the standards-based
reform movement in the U.S. has resulted in the
emphasis being placed on teaching students basic math,
English, and science skills. Subsequently, less
emphasis has been placed on financial education.
Fortunately, the standards-based reform movement is
continuously evolving and expanding in order to allow
for financial education, which is incorporated into
other subjects. One example is the “No Child Left
Behind