Book 1 Pilot Study

Using my first book, John’s Sweet Choices: A Fun Story About Saving and Making Decisions, as the primary educational resource, I conduct interactive storytelling workshops at elementary schools, & religious education centers to see how narrative-based learning may influence children’s simple decision-making preferences. Although my book is for children ages 4-8, I tried to aim this study towards ages 6-8.

During these sessions, I use a pre-test/post-test design by asking participants simple preference questions (see attached) before reading the story and again after reading the story. This allows me to observe potential shifts in their choices and reasoning after exposure to the narrative. By analyzing response patterns across sessions, I explore how storytelling may influence early financial decision-making through a behavioral economics lens.

Participation & Safety

All activities are conducted with teacher permission, participation is voluntary, and no personal identifying information is collected.

The attached permission checklist was signed and collected from each teacher prior to the activity, ensuring voluntary participation, protecting student privacy, and agreeing to take only non-identifying photographs.

Expert Endorsement

The study design received exceptional feedback from Dr. William Stauff (PhD, MBA), a distinguished economics professor and higher education administrator with experience at Harvard University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Georgia. He also praised the book’s approach and methodology, highlighting that the project teaches children to save money, put aside funds gradually, and make wise choices to reach their goals. Dr. Stauff also noted that the questionnaire design is especially effective when comparing responses before and after the activities.

He shared that the project inspired him to develop a similar activity for his next economics class, dividing students into small groups and asking the same questions, which is especially valuable for children who may not have learned these lessons growing up. Dr. Stauff also recommended exploring resources from Dave Ramsey, whose principles align with the project’s goals, and noted the relevance of economic principles from the Bible as additional context.

“I think this is a very sound project and you are really off to a good start. I like the author's approach with the simple questions… This is actually giving me an idea for the next economics class I teach.”
— Dr. William Stauff, PhD, MBA

Data

Kidonomix: DATA

Analysis

The pre/post analysis of identical questions administered before and after reading the Kidonomix story demonstrated a positive correlation between the book and improved financial decision-making.

Question 1 (“If I gave you $5 right now, what would you do with it?”):

Impulsive spending responses (Q1A: buy something you like) decreased from 18 to 4 students (−78%)
Saving-oriented responses (Q1B) increased from 53 to 58 students (+9%)
Neutral responses (Q1C) increased from 1 to 4 students (+300%)

Question 2 (“If you really want a toy but it is expensive, what would you do?”):

Immediate purchase responses (Q2A) decreased from 10 to 6 students (−40%)
Considered decision-making responses (Q2C) increased from 58 to 73 students (+26%)
Neutral compromise responses (Q2B) decreased from 15 to 6 students (−60%)

Overall, these shifts indicate a positive correlation between exposure to the book and improved student decision-making, with fewer impulsive choices and greater consideration of saving and delayed rewards, demonstrating the effectiveness of Kidonomix.

The Pilot Research Paper

Kidonomix Draft 5 FINAL

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