COMPOUND INTEREST AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL OBSTACLES: ANALYSIS OF THE IDEAS OF STUDENTS IN THE 3RD YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

The teaching of Financial Mathematics (MF) and Financial Education (PE) are important in Basic Education, as they enable students to develop skills to critically analyze the financial situations experienced in their daily lives. This study, which results from a monographic work carried out to obtain the certificate of Specialist in Mathematics Teaching, aims to identify whether in the understanding of the answers to the five situations proposed for 10 students of the 3rd year of High School on Compound Interest (JC), in terms of conscious consumption within the scope of PE, there are epistemological obstacles as recommended by Bachelard. The qualitative approach proved to be more appropriate and the interest in interpreting the understanding of these students to understand the limits between the phenomenon and the context led to the option for action research. Thus, it was identified that the understandings presented about JC can be characterized as verbal obstacle and pragmatic knowledge and that therefore they hinder the making of decisions about managing their finances such as choosing the most advantageous way to make payments, make purchases, or other situations that involve money throughout their lives.