ALFABETIZAÇÃO FINANCEIRA: UM ESTUDO POR MEIO DA APLICAÇÃO DA TEORIA DE RESPOSTA AO ITEM/FINANCIAL LITERACY: A STUDY USING THE APPLICATION OF ITEM RESPONSE THEORY

• Published in: Administração (São Paulo) Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 147
• Main Authors: Do Nascimento, João Carlos Hipólito Bernardes, Macedo, Marcelo Álvaro Da Silva, De Siquei, José Ricardo Maia, Bernardes, Juliana Reis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Rio De Janeiro Associação Nacional dos Cursos de Graduação em Administração- ANGRAD 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Business administration; Data analysis; Financial literacy; Higher education; Item response theory; Students; Studies; Testes; Brazil
• ISSN: 2177-6083; 2358-0917
• DOI: 10.13058/raep.2016.v17n1.341

This study aimed to measure the level of financial literacy of Business Administration course students at a federal Higher Education Institution (HEI). To this end, a survey was conducted on 307 students. The Item Response Theory (IRT) was employed for data analysis and the findings support the conclusion that the students show a low level of financial literacy, as well as the existence of a conservative investment profile among students. This scenario, in line with previous empirical studies conducted in the Brazil, is worrying given the potential negative externalities resulting from poor financial decisions, especially those related to home financing and retirement preparations. This study contributes to the empirical evaluation, within the national context, of the use of IRT in estimating financial literacy, and shows that it is, indeed, an important methodological option in the estimation of this latent trait. Furthermore, this enables financial knowledge to be compared through consistent and reliable means, using studies, populations, realities and separate programs.