Article Accepted Manuscript

Learning to wait and be altruistic: testing a conversational training in economic education for primary school children

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Lombardi, Elisabetta
Valle, Annalisa
Rinaldi, Teresa
Massaro, Davide
Marchetti, Antonella

Abstract / Description

Individual economic competence is important but increasingly challenging to manage due to the growing complexity of the nature of economic decisions people must make and the substantial impacts of some of these decisions on their lives. Decision-making ability develops from childhood and is closely related to specific economic components and prosocial behaviour such as fairness, altruism, and delay of gratification. However, while there are financial-education programs for children and young people focusing on financial products, few studies have examined training for the psychological abilities underlying economic decision- making. To promote those psychological skills that contribute to making decision- making more socially effective, we designed and tested a conversational-based training program for primary school children using reflective thinking. A total of 110 (male = 47) children aged 8 to 10 years (mean age = 9.71 years) from two schools in Northern Italy participated in the study with 55 children in a training group and 55 in a control group. All participated in pre-tests measuring their socio- economic background and economics-related skills and abilities. The training group were told stories relaying values of fairness, altruism, and delayed gratification. Both groups participated in task-based post-tests relating to fairness, altruism, and delayed gratification. Results revealed that children in the training group showed significant improvement at the post-test in altruistic and investment behavior, showing the training efficacy, suggesting that similar programs could be implemented in elementary schools as foundational teaching of economics and fiscal responsibility.

Keyword(s)

decision making training altruism intertemporal choice investment fairness school-age children

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2021-03-10

Journal title

Europe's Journal of Psychology

Publisher

PsychArchives

Publication status

acceptedVersion

Review status

reviewed

Is version of

Citation

Lombardi, E., Valle, A., Rinaldi, T., Massaro, D., & Marchetti, A. (in press). Learning to wait and be altruistic: testing a conversational training in economic education for primary school children [Author accepted manuscript]. Europe's Journal of Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.4701
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Lombardi, Elisabetta
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Valle, Annalisa
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Rinaldi, Teresa
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Massaro, Davide
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Marchetti, Antonella
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2021-03-10T12:29:02Z
  • Made available on
    2021-03-10T12:29:02Z
  • Date of first publication
    2021-03-10
  • Abstract / Description
    Individual economic competence is important but increasingly challenging to manage due to the growing complexity of the nature of economic decisions people must make and the substantial impacts of some of these decisions on their lives. Decision-making ability develops from childhood and is closely related to specific economic components and prosocial behaviour such as fairness, altruism, and delay of gratification. However, while there are financial-education programs for children and young people focusing on financial products, few studies have examined training for the psychological abilities underlying economic decision- making. To promote those psychological skills that contribute to making decision- making more socially effective, we designed and tested a conversational-based training program for primary school children using reflective thinking. A total of 110 (male = 47) children aged 8 to 10 years (mean age = 9.71 years) from two schools in Northern Italy participated in the study with 55 children in a training group and 55 in a control group. All participated in pre-tests measuring their socio- economic background and economics-related skills and abilities. The training group were told stories relaying values of fairness, altruism, and delayed gratification. Both groups participated in task-based post-tests relating to fairness, altruism, and delayed gratification. Results revealed that children in the training group showed significant improvement at the post-test in altruistic and investment behavior, showing the training efficacy, suggesting that similar programs could be implemented in elementary schools as foundational teaching of economics and fiscal responsibility.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    acceptedVersion
    en
  • Review status
    reviewed
    en
  • Sponsorship
    The research was financed by the “Foundation for Financial Education and Saving” (Feduf) on the basis of an arrangement with Fondazione Nord Milano.
    en_US
  • Citation
    Lombardi, E., Valle, A., Rinaldi, T., Massaro, D., & Marchetti, A. (in press). Learning to wait and be altruistic: testing a conversational training in economic education for primary school children [Author accepted manuscript]. Europe's Journal of Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.4701
    en
  • ISSN
    1841-0413
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/4156
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.4701
  • Language of content
    eng
    en_US
  • Publisher
    PsychArchives
    en_US
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.2453
    en
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5940
  • Is related to
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5242
  • Is related to
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5940
  • Keyword(s)
    decision making
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    training
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    altruism
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    intertemporal choice
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    investment
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    fairness
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    school-age children
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Learning to wait and be altruistic: testing a conversational training in economic education for primary school children
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
    en_US
  • Journal title
    Europe's Journal of Psychology
    en
  • Visible tag(s)
    PsychOpen GOLD
    en_US
  • Visible tag(s)
    Accepted Manuscript
    en_US