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Games Evolve as Tools for Teaching Financial Literacy

Online simulations emphasize skill development.

Although a majority of states do not require financial-literacy classes in K-12 schools, the nation’s recent economic struggles have spurred growing interest in the subject by educators—many of whom are turning to digital-game-based approaches to teach students about personal finance and investing.

“We are pretty much teaching the same things we were teaching prior to the recession, but the biggest difference is the general public is more receptive to the message,” said Laura Levine, a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy and the executive director of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy , a Washington-based group of organizations that aims to improve financial literacy for students through research, advocacy, and educational resources.

Harnessing the power of digital environments might be an effective way to provide financial education to students, said Jack A. Naglieri, a professor of psychology at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va., who has conducted research on the effectiveness of...