Active learning improves financial education: Experimental evidence

Arbeitspapier

We conduct a randomized field experiment to study the effects of two financial education interventions offered to small-scale retailers in Uganda. The treatments contrast "active learning" with "traditional lecturing" within standardized lesson-plans. We find that active learning has a positive and economically meaningful impact on savings and investment outcomes, in contrast to insignificant impacts of lecturing. These results are not conditional on prior education or financial literacy. Tentative evidence suggests that only active learning stimulates several cognitive and non-cognitive mechanisms; moreover, a social mechanism may be at play as treated individuals join social groups discussing financial matters.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Discussion Paper ; No. 131

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Analysis of Education ; Economic Education and Teaching of Economics: General ; Household Saving; Personal Finance ; Economic Development: Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
• Subject: financial behavior ; financial literacy ; active learning ; lecturing ; training method ; field experiment

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Kaiser, Tim ; Menkhoff, Lukas
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Collaborative Research Center Transregio 190 - Rationality and Competition
• (where): München und Berlin
• (when): 2018

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/194027
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET