Developing and Validating a Game-Based Financial Literacy Assessment for Early Childhood

An Evidence-Centered Design Approach

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56741/IISTR.ijlree.002177


Keywords:

Early Childhood, Evidence-centered Design, Financial Literacy, Game-Based Assessment

Abstract

Financial literacy is an important skill that children need to have to face future economic challenges. However, the level of financial literacy among young children is still low, with many children lacking an understanding of basic financial concepts such as money management, saving, and distinguishing between needs and wants. Although various financial literacy education programs have been introduced, measuring the financial literacy of early childhood remains a challenge, as traditional evaluation methods are often ineffective and unsuitable for children's developmental characteristics. This article aims to develop and validate a game-based assessment instrument for measuring the financial literacy of early childhood, designed using the Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) framework. This study tested the effectiveness of game-based assessment in measuring financial literacy in early childhood through trials in two kindergartens in Malang, East Java, involving 100 students aged 5-6 years. The results of this study indicate that this game-based financial literacy instrument is enough valid and reliable for measuring children's financial literacy and the measurement results can be used as an evaluation tool for educators or institutions in developing more effective financial education policies that are appropriate to children's needs in schools.

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Author Biographies

Nurlaeli Fitriah, Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim

received the Doctoral degree in education from the Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia. She has over 17 years of experience as a Lecturer at Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang. Her current research interests include research and development, educational technology, and evaluation in learning, especially in early childhood education. (email: nurlaily.fitriah@uin-malang.ac.id).

Aris Budianto, Universitas Sebelas Maret

is a lecturer at the Informatics and Computer Education Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Indonesia. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Informatics and Vocational Education (JOIVE). His research area is in Learning Technologies, Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence in Education, Computer-Assisted Learning, and Educational Technology. (email: arisbudianto@staff.uns.ac.id).

Saiful Hikmah, Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim

is a functional staff of developing learning technology at UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang. He develops various applications for administrative and learning purposes. (email: lufiasbima@uin-malang.ac.id).

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Published

2026-06-28

How to Cite

Fitriah, N., Budianto, A., & Hikmah, S. (2026). Developing and Validating a Game-Based Financial Literacy Assessment for Early Childhood: An Evidence-Centered Design Approach. International Journal of Learning Reformation in Elementary Education, 5(02), 736–749. https://doi.org/10.56741/IISTR.ijlree.002177

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