A study to determine the financial literacy levels of high school students: The case of İskenderun

The concept of financial literacy is a set of regular behaviours that include being aware of the economic and financial agenda, having sufficient knowledge to understand financial products and services, and having sufficient numerical skills and interpretive skills to make optimal financial decisions. It is one of the most prominent issues of the current century, and especially the youth, who will be the adults of the future, should not be left out of the subject as financially literate individuals. With in the scope of the study it is aimed to determine the financial literacy levels of high school students. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with the participation of 371 high school students studying in İskenderun district of Hatay province. The data obtained in the research were analysed statistically and the results were interpreted. Descriptive statistical methods (number, percentage, mean, standard deviation) were used to evaluate the data. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and variance analysis were conducted to evaluate the results. It was determined that the financial literacy levels of the students were low. It was concluded that the financial literacy level was not affected by gender, family income level, parents' professions, financial situation, and school type. However, it was revealed that the financial literacy level differed according to the financial information sources, class level, savings and investment reasons, and also income and expense record keeping level. The results such as the high level of future economic anxiety of secondary school students, the fact that financial literacy levels are related to financial behaviors rather than demographic characteristics, the fact that better prospective results can be obtained with early applied financial literacy education methods, and the need to create financial awareness at the high school level by determining basic level financial concepts and introducing them in educational institutions are among the important points of the study.