The Effects of Activity Implementation Based on the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy Integrated with Simulated Situations on Early Childhood Financial Literacy

Abstract

              This study employed a pre-experimental research design with the aim of 1) examining the implementation process of activities grounded in the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy combined with simulation-based learning, as well as 2) investigating the differences in early childhood financial literacy before and after participation in the activity program. The participants were thirteen children aged 5–6 years enrolled in Kindergarten Year 3 at Ban Khok Phak Hom School, under the Office of Udon Thani Primary Educational Service Area 1, during the second semester of the 2024 academic year. The sample was selected through purposive sampling, and the researcher, who served as the classroom teacher, collected all data directly. The research utilized a set of 32 activity plans, which were evaluated as highly appropriate (= 4.97, S.D. = 0.13), together with a 45-item financial literacy test demonstrating item–objective congruence values ranging between 0.80 and 1.00. Data analysis employed mean scores, standard deviations, and percentages.

              The results of the study revealed that 1) the implementation process of the activities based on the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy integrated with simulated situations consisted of three stages:
1.1) the preparation stage, which focused on motivating and preparing learners for engagement; 1.2) the learning process stage, which comprised three sub-components—reasonableness, moderation, and the development of resilience through simulated situations. The simulated situations themselves included preparation, scenario presentation, role selection, activity implementation, and application and transfer of learning; and
1.3) the conclusion and reflection stage, which encompassed lesson summarization and reflection
on learning outcomes. Furthermore, 2) prior to the implementation of the activities, the children demonstrated a fair level of financial literacy (= 19.23, S.D. = 1.55), whereas after participating in
the activities, their financial literacy increased to a very good level (= 43.92, S.D. = 4.26). These findings indicate that the children’s financial literacy improved following the intervention.