Teaching financial literacy through the use of market research and advertising instruction: A non traditional approach

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe how librarians used elements of market research, advertising and media literacy in a personal finance class.

Design/methodology/approach

Librarians each semester guest lecture one session in a personal finance class “Foundations of Money Education.” Through this class, librarians present engaging material about market research and advertising in an effort to encourage students to think about how these external forces influence their spending behavior.

Findings

Students appreciate learning about advertising through the engaging use of commercials. While responses were mixed as to the applicability of the topic, the majority of students agreed that the topic was a worthwhile addition to the personal finance curriculum.

Originality/value

Topics such as budgets, savings, and mortgages are typically taught in personal finance classes. Teaching information about market research and advertising is a topic that is usually not covered in a personal finance class.

Citation

Vaaler, A. and Wilhelm, J. (2020), "Teaching financial literacy through the use of market research and advertising instruction: A non traditional approach", Reference Services Review, Vol. 48 No. 2, pp. 258-270. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-11-2019-0081