Teachers' perceptions of teaching financial literacy in mathematics at secondary schools in Vietnam

Abstract

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has emphasized the need to apply financial education from an early stage in school. In Vietnam, financial literacy has been integrated into the national educational curriculum since 2018. This knowledge has appeared in several subjects, including mathematics at secondary schools. Considering this phenomenon, this study explores mathematics teachers' perceptions relating to financial literacy in classroom instruction. A researcher-developed questionnaire about financial literacy in education was distributed and explained to secondary school mathematics teachers. The survey was completed by 60 teachers working in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The majority of teachers possess more than five years’ teaching tenure, guaranteeing their completion of a full implementation cycle of the 2018 mathematics education curriculum. The author gains insights into Vietnamese teachers' understanding of financial literacy and the instructional challenges they face after conducting the research. Teachers showed high confidence in basic financial concepts. However, regarding more complex terms, such as securities, inflation and teachers themselves were not familiar with using them. There were existing challenges in terms of financial literacy instruction in mathematics. A majority of teachers agree that it is of great importance to gain more knowledge in the field. Finally, teachers should be equipped with more professional development training and comprehensive teaching resources to support them in integrating financial education successfully into the subject of mathematics.