Assessment of a professional development program and how secondary school teachers use their understanding of wealth management in the classroom

This exploratory study investigates a wealth management (WM) professional development (PD) program and how secondary school teachers' use their understanding of WM in the classroom. Literature search was based on in-service teachers' PD conceptual structure. Theoretical framework for teacher knowledge (TK) focused on four critical assumptions; content knowledge (CK); pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); application knowledge; and assessment knowledge. Data collection was through document review and six teacher interviews. Four themes emerged from the data: preparation for the course; personal reflections of the program; broad understanding of WM to teach across the curriculum; and critical professional development. Findings reveal that teachers increased their WM knowledge by attending the summer institute and enhanced their PCK to confidently integrate WM concepts in different subjects. Teachers found the pre-test was not motivating, but they were satisfied with the evaluation method. Applying WM concepts to non traditional subjects proved a substantial challenge for teachers. A teacher found the program inattentive to French immersion teachers. The program contributed to teachers' understanding of investment issues but insufficient for teachers to self-manage their personal investments. Teachers considered ongoing PD an important learning process. The thesis made five contributions to academic knowledge. A PD program of modest duration can enhance teachers' CK and PCK. Improvements to teacher knowledge facilitate teachers to introduce new methods and materials. WM programs need to provide specific guidance on curriculum integration issues. Although French immersion shortcomings can be addressed by applying additional resources, concerns about male bias may be pervasive in the delivery of WM programs and may impede access of female teachers to opportunities to earn more about WM pedagogy. There are six recommendations that evolved from the study: Redesign the pre-test to increase motivating inquiry; introduce material to cover a wider range of subjects; revise assessments to clearly track changes in teacher knowledge; update content to reflect current events in WM; incorporate teacher designed activities and exemplars; and create a WM community of inquiry to share teacher expertise. A model WM PD curriculum matrix is provided. Tentative reasons for the findings are discussed, with recommendations for theory, practice, and for further research.