Experiential financial education: A field study of my classroom economy in elementary schools

Abstract

My Classroom Economy is a simulated economy where students have the opportunity to engage in financial decisions on a daily basis. It provides financial literacy instruction without requiring significant classroom time, and is relatively simple for teachers to implement. Compared to schools where My Classroom Economy was delayed or never implemented, students showed strong improvements in financial knowledge. Compared to a traditional lecture-based curriculum, students showed similar gains in learning. Based on standardized math test scores, there was no substitution away from core school curriculum after the program began. Experiential financial education appears to be an effective strategy to teach financial literacy, even at lower grade levels. It is also a relatively low-cost approach that does not require extensive teacher preparation.