Abstract
In Italy, economic and financial education has recently been introduced into the school curriculum as part of citizenship education. The approval of this policy reflects a growing awareness of the need to develop economic and financial competences from primary school onwards, to foster responsible and active citizenship in an increasingly complex and dynamic society. However, this new policy is not supported by systematic training initiatives for in-service and pre-service teachers, an essential condition for effectively integrating economic and financial education into schools. Addressing this critical gap, the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano has established the LabEE–Economic Education Lab, with the aim of training students enrolled in the Primary Education degree program – future preschool and primary school teachers – by enhancing both their subject-specific knowledge and teaching skills in the field of economic and financial education. Within this framework, the research team developed a questionnaire to assess students’ current level of competence (RQ1) and to explore their perceptions regarding the inclusion of a dedicated training program in their academic curriculum (RQ2). Preliminary findings reveal a low level of competence, particularly in the economic field, accompanied by high levels of uncertainty, as indicated by the frequent use of “I don’t know” responses. Most students expressed interest in introducing a specific training program, either through dedicated workshops or theoretical courses. These initial results suggest that future teachers recognize the importance of targeted training, which they view as necessary for fostering the widespread development of economic and financial competences in the school context.