Microsoft Word Ed Horwitz Post Dissertation Fina docx

 Methodology 
 Overview 
To explore the effects of a financial education program on financial well-being, quasi-
experimental research methods were employed. More specifically, a time series, non-equivalent, 
control group design utilizing pre and post program testing was used to address threats to internal 
validity (Posavac, 2011). A workplace financial education program was conducted in a 
Midwestern city of approximately 500,000 people. To measure the change in financial well-
being, a pen and paper survey was utilized both pre and post education program delivery. The 
data collected from these surveys was used as the source for research analysis.  
 Sample 
The participant sample came from two separate employers who offered the financial 
education program as an employee benefit. The first financial education program was held in the 
fall of 2013 for the employees of a benefit company. The educational program was offered to all 
employees, and participants self-selected. The financial education classes were held once a week, 
over the lunch hour, for a ten-week period. Prior to commencement, the employer’s program 
administrator identified a control group of non-participant employees. The control group was 
selected to represent a makeup similar to that of the participant group.  
The second participant group offered the financial education program to all local 

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employees of a regional bank, who self-selected into the program held in the fall of 2014. Similar 
to the first group, a control group of non-participant employees was selected by the employer’s 
program administrator prior to the start of the program. For the second group, two class times 
were offered both before work and after work, once a week for a ten-week period. Employees 
were offered a choice each week to attend either the morning or evening class depending on their 
schedule. A nominal fee for attending the program was required for the participants as a sign of 
commitment. The final sample size of the two employer groups combined was 102, of which 46 
were participants and 56 were from the control groups.