Exploring the Efficacy of Using a Game-Based Learning Experience in High School Personal Financial Literacy

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Research on Games Poster Session

Abstract

This study explored the efficacy of an educational game designed to teach personal financial literacy. In pre-test/post-test design that took place over the course of the school year, high school students (N = 118) were randomly assigned at the classroom level to experimental (game-based learning) or control (traditional learning) conditions. Those in the experimental condition played a strategy game that immerses players in a digital environment that uses real-life scenarios to teach responsible financial behavior; those in the control received traditional teaching methods as per the standard curriculum. Results indicated a clear advantage for game-based learning, with students in the experimental condition scoring significantly and meaningfully higher on the post-test (controlling for pre-test scores) than those in the control condition.

Authors

• Scott Neal Wilson, University of Oklahoma

• Leslie Ann Williams, University of Oklahoma

• Jessica Black, University of Oklahoma

• William Thompson, University of Oklahoma

• Caroline E Engler, University of Oklahoma

• Sharon Gail Dean, University of Oklahoma

• Javier Elizondo, University of Oklahoma

• Ryan Ralston, University of Oklahoma

• Robert A. Terry, University of Oklahoma

• Gregg A. Garn, University of Oklahoma