Brooks presents research at AFCPE symposium
Mississippi University for Women’s Dr. Cecilia Brooks presented her research titled, “Mobile payment service use among college students: Friend or foe?” at the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) Research and Training Symposium Wednesday, Nov. 29.
The presentation featured research by Brooks with help from 2022 W graduate Mykayla Reed during her time as a Summer Scholar before graduating, and Dr. Brandan Wheeler, an assistant professor at Alabama A&M University.
“This project originated after I noticed a trend where students noted they did not use alternative financial services such as payday lenders, pawn shops or rent-to-own services. However, they were actively selling property online and transferring money via mobile payment service apps. By exploring how and why college students use mobile payment services in conjunction with traditional banking services, we can identify gaps in the digital financial literacy of young people. This is important because peer-to-peer financial transactions and a cycle of selling property for quick cash are often symptoms of a bigger financial problem. Additionally, young people do not often seek financial knowledge until an issue becomes a financial crisis,” Brooks said.
Brooks presented her research virtually to attendees at the conference, both in person and virtually.
Brooks is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Family Science.
Presenting at and attending events such as these gives educators and researchers a chance to learn from one another about a variety of topics related to their respective fields.
“I am excited to be able to attend and present because I can gather information on best practices, learn from other researchers and share my experiences as a financial well-being advocate at a college campus. The presentation is important to me because I can gather feedback from both researchers and practitioners who work with non-college student populations. That can help me better understand potential factors that can negatively contribute to the financial well-being of individuals beyond the collegiate financial stressors,” Brooks said.