Teen financial literacy evaluated to develop outreach materials

Varcoe, K; Peterson, S; Go, C; Johns, M; René-Fitch, P; Powell, C; Costello, C

Teen financial literacy evaluated to develop outreach materials

Authors

Karen Varcoe
Shirley Peterson
Charles Go
Margaret Johns
Paula René-Fitch
Carol Powell
Connie Costello

Authors Affiliations

K. Varcoe is Consumer Education Specialist and Program Leader, Human Resources, UC Riverside; S. Peterson is Nutrition, Family and Consumer Science (NFCS) Advisor and County Director, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), San Luis Obispo County; C. Go is Youth Development Advisor, UCCE Alameda County; M. Johns is NFCS Advisor, UCCE Kern County; P. René-Fitch is NFCS Advisor, UCCE Imperial County; C. Powell is NFCS Advisor, UCCE Santa Barbara County; C. Costello is Program Representative, UC Riverside. The authors wish to thank the UCCE Workgroup and Chase Manhattan Foundation for funding our work.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 56(2):65-68. DOI:10.3733/ca.v056n02p65. March 2002.

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Abstract

Teenagers have access to and spend a great deal of money each year, yet research indicates that their financial literacy is low. Many curricula for teaching money management exist, but we do not know if we are teaching teens what they want to know in a way that they want to learn. This study, conducted by the Money 2000+ for Teens Workgroup of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, sought to find out what teens want to know about financial management. Questionnaires were administered to 323 teens from five diverse groups: teens who were in juvenile hall or on probation, in public high schools, migrant education programs, pregnancy and parenting classes, and youth groups. The data were used to develop educational materials with “teen appeal,” which are currently being evaluated for eventual distribution nationally.

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