Educação financeira e a prevenção ao endividamento: Estudo de caso de um projeto de extensão universitária

Abstract

Financial education is an important tool for developing knowledge and skills related to financial planning, conscious consumption, and debt prevention. In this context, university extension plays a significant role in promoting educational activities for the community. This study aimed to analyze the contributions of the fifth edition of the extension project Cuidando das Finanças Pessoais (Taking Care of Personal Finances) to the promotion of financial education among technical high school students at the Agricultural Sciences Campus (CAVN), Center for Human, Social and Agricultural Sciences (CCHSA), Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB). This study is characterized as applied research with a qualitative approach and exploratory and descriptive objectives, adopting the case study as its research strategy. Data were collected through documentary research using reports, planning documents, teaching materials, and the results of the Olimpíada do Tesouro Direto de Educação Financeira (OLITEF). The data were analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that the extension activities contributed to expanding students' knowledge of financial education, financial planning, conscious consumption, and debt prevention, while also fostering greater interest, participation, and motivation throughout the activities. An improvement in the participants' performance in the OLITEF was also observed between the editions analyzed. It is concluded that the project strengthened the students' financial education and demonstrated the potential of university extension as a strategy for citizenship education.