Evaluation of social studies teacher candidates' financial literacy levels

Financial literacy is the ability of individuals to make rational plans for the use of financial resources, make effective decisions regarding monetary management, and act responsibly and effectively financially. The purpose of this study is to examine the financial literacy levels of social studies teacher candidates, within the context of various variables, regarding the financial literacy skill planned to be taught in the social studies course. A descriptive survey model was used in the study to reveal the participants' current knowledge, attitudes, and opinions. The study group consisted of 185 teacher candidates studying at all grade levels in the Department of Social Studies Education, Department of Turkish and Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Education, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, during the 2023-2024 academic year. The "Survey to Determine the Financial Literacy Levels of University Students," developed by Tetik (2019), was used as the data collection tool. The study revealed that although social studies teacher candidates possess a high level of knowledge of basic economic concepts, they lack knowledge of financial markets, the inflation-interest rate relationship, and the regular monitoring of market indicators. It was concluded that prospective teachers' knowledge of investment instruments and financial markets was generally at a moderate level. In particular, they lack knowledge about the differences between investment instruments, the fundamental distinctions between bonds and stocks, the interest-return relationship, and risk management.