A quantitative analysis of the relationship between current college students' levels of financial literacy and financial socialization.

Despite recent student loan debt forgiveness initiatives, college students are facing the highest amount of student loan debt in the history of the United States. This debt crisis has resulted from cultural and economic pressures to get a bachelor's degree, increasing tuition costs, and relatively low entry-level wages. These college students have low financial literacy and therefore struggle to understand financial information. Students' inability to understand financial terminology and processes leads to difficulty with understanding how to fund their education, uncertainty about seeking financial help, and negatively affects their ambitions to continue to higher levels of education. College administration and financial aid policymakers and professionals must make changes to foster an environment conducive to increasing college students' financial literacy. This quantitative research study examined the relationship between current college students' financial literacy and financial socialization, demographics and the relationship to financial literacy, and demographics and the relationship to financial socialization, using a digital Qualtrics survey. Gutter et al.'s (2010) Financial Socialization Theory informed the theoretical framework for this study. Additionally, I utilized Lusardi et al's (2010) financial literacy questions to measure the levels of current college students. The Financial Socialization Theory supplies a framework to analyze the determining factors of students' financial behaviors (Gutter et al., 2010). This model informs us that demographics and financial characteristics are antecedents to students' financial social learning opportunities, which then influence their financial behaviors. Financial social learning opportunities include discussions and observations regarding family and friends' financial behaviors (Gutter et al., 2010). The correlation analyses revealed weak, negative correlations between financial literacy and financial socialization. The multiple regression analysis determined gender was a significant predictor of financial literacy. The multiple regression analysis also determined that first-generation status and students' monthly incomes of $1–$499 and $1000 or more, were significant predictors of financial socialization. Implications for these findings relate to college administrators, financial aid professionals, current college students, and families.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Shackelford, Rachel, 1996-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jones Davis, Brenda K., 1971-

• Financial literacy.
• Financial socialization.
• College students.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/12933

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/12933