EduCoelho : uma plataforma de alfabetização financeira estimulando a reflexão comportamental

Abstract

Financial Literacy comprises a body of knowledge about personal finances that can lead to better financial decisions in an individual´s life. An individual is considered financially literate if one is able to demonstrate knowledge through one´s actions. Individuals become financially literate through educational processes that seek to provide these individuals with the information necessary to achieve stability in their financial lives. Although it is assumed that literacy can be gained through practical experiences (and an active knowledge building), it is very difficult to measure. This is the case because it is hard to assess what skills are necessary to hold, how to offer the knowledge, how to test if the skill was learned, and the evaluation on whether or not these skills will be properly applied in scenarios of continuous uncertainty, in which it should be considered satisfactory to achieve financial equilibrium. In this context, it may be considered that Financial Education is a complex subject to be developed pedagogically, as it involves cultural and behavioral aspects that go beyond the walls of a classroom. The complexity of human action, emotional aspects and behavioral biases are highlighted as important points. All these elements are relevant in the decision-making process, however, they are commonly neglected when the subject Financial Education is treated. Several works point out the relevance of Financial Education projects. Most of them, however, indicate that the practical results are not satisfactory at all. Based on this problem, this work seeks to understand the reasons behind the difficulties in achieving better individual results, as well as to propose and evaluate approaches applicable for teaching when dealing with this subject. This research first focused on describing the fundamentals that guide the learning process while analyzing factors relevant for its attainment with the use of new technology tools. The subject of analysis were Financial Education projects and its demonstrated results. This study states that it is possible to identify and divide knowledge building and financial behavior in five pillars: mathematical technique, intrapersonal behavior, interpersonal reaction, financial products and concepts, overall understanding and economic logic. These pillars act as one of the principles for designing an educational platform alongside three other guiding principles: to consider the human action, the tolerance for error, and the use of technology resources in educational projects. Based on these assumptions, the EduCoelho Platform consists of a game to stimulate the behavioral reflection about a dream of consumption: the purchase of a car. In addition to the game, a set of video lectures was developed to explicitly and systematically address important points in order for the user to achieve a successful learning. Moreover, the game enables the collection of statistics before and after its usage that allows the evaluation of performance while observing participants' perceptions about behavorial issues and learning evidences. In closing, an analysis evaluating the development of the platform is made in order to provide evidence that Financial Education can be helpful in a meaningful way for student’s future life.