Avaliação de impacto social de uma iniciativa em educação financeira na Paraíba usando o método de diferenças em diferenças

Abstract

This study aims to estimate the social impact of the multiplier effect resulting from the first edition of the Specialization Course in Financial Education (CEEF), developed at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), targeted at teachers from the state public school system, on the academic performance of students in Paraíba in the assessments applied by the National High School Exam (ENEM). The analysis, wich ocurred between 2017 and 2019, employs a methodology that combines the Differences-in-Differences (DiD) model with fixed effects and quantile regression, in order to estimate the effects of teacher training on students’ standardized scores across the four areas of evaluation, in addition to their performance on the writing section. The estimates indicate that teachers participating in the CEEF had a positive and statistically significant impact on their students’ academic performance, particularly in the areas of Mathematics and Human Sciences. Conversely, no relevant effects were observed in the other areas. The findings suggest that the inclusion of financial education topics in the school curriculum has the potential not only to enhance students’ financial literacy but also to foster the development of interdisciplinary competencies that are fundamental to academic achievement.