Teacher and student survey

The objective of this study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the perceptions and needs of active and prospective teachers so we can further develop our financial education initiatives targeted to teachers.

The study used a mixed methods design combining qualitative and quantitative methods. For the qualitative part of the OeNB teacher and students survey three focus groups were conducted in Vienna and Tyrol with (prospective) teachers. The teachers had the opportunity to express their understanding of financial education and their support needs (e.g. additional teaching materials). The qualitative results on the teacher survey can be found in the OeNB Reports under this link. The publication is only available in German.

Another quantitative survey, conducted in cooperation with the University of Vienna (Didactics of Geography and Economic Education working group), allowed students of geography and economic education (teacher education) to share their understanding of financial education and the relevance of the format and content of the support offered. Both surveys were completed at the end of 2022 and are currently being analyzed.

The teacher survey was conducted by the OeNB’s Financial Literacy Unit with the kind support of the education directorates for Vienna and Tyrol but was open to teachers from all Austrian provinces. Teachers were invited to participate through different channels, including the two education directorates, our OeNB financial education newsletter, our financial education website, and when ordering financial education materials. We conducted the survey with students in cooperation with the University of Vienna (Didactics of Geography and Economic Education working group).

The research questions addressed by the qualitative and quantitative surveys can be summarized as follows:

• What is the understanding of financial education among active and prospective teachers?
• How confident do prospective teachers feel about teaching financial education?
• How can the OeNB best support students in their teacher training program for Geography and Economic Education?
• What conclusions can be drawn for the further development of the teacher training university curriculum?

The surveys dealt with basic topics of financial education in teaching and with the question how teachers and prospective teachers can be further supported in implementing financial education.

The aim of the surveys was to obtain as complete a picture as possible of the perceptions and needs of active and prospective teachers, which is why a combination of open and closed questions was used. These questions covered the following topics:

1. Relevant aspects of financial education in Geography and Economic Education: In this open question, teachers and prospective teachers were asked to list the most important aspects of financial education for them, such as topics or methods.
2. Support needs: teachers and prospective teachers could indicate where they need support.

Besides these two questions, which were the same in both surveys, active teachers could express specific wishes for teaching materials or activities, as well as training or information offers, and evaluate these according to certain content or methodological criteria. Active teachers could also assess their own expertise on selected financial education topics and the suitability of these topics for different school levels.

In addition to the common questions for both groups, prospective teachers were specifically asked about the desired support during their studies or in their (future) teaching activities. Furthermore, didactic concepts, teaching objectives and perceived self-efficacy were part of the student survey.