Investing in financial literacy: Critical democratic instructional practices and learning object technologies

This research project contributes to advancements in the fields of financial literacy and online education. The purpose of the study was to consider the prospects of a set of computer-based learning objects in supporting critical democratic instructional approaches to financial literacy learning with students in grades 11 and 12. The key question of the study asked: How do online learning objects mediate the teaching and learning of financial concepts, especially as these tools may support critical democratic educational practice?;Key Words: Financial Education, Financial Literacy, Learning Objects, New Media, Instructional Technologies, Online Learning, Differentiated Online Instruction, Interactives, Critical Democracy;To ascertain the educational attributes of specialized object technologies in cultivating democratic learning conditions, classroom observations and semi structured interviews were conducted with Mathematics and Business students in 1 urban and 1 rural secondary school in southern Ontario, Canada. This qualitative case study investigation provided insight into: (a) the ways that financial literacy is currently being defined by these students and their teachers, (b) the technological features of the learning objects being used and their educative effects, and (c) the relevance of the digital financial curricula in serving specific learning preferences. Data collected in this project were used to construct a research-based curriculum model that identifies technical and pedagogical qualities of online learning objects that correlate with a critical democratic vision for financial literacy learning.