PREreview estructurada del From Financial Education to Financial Freedom: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Subjectivity and Economic Empowerment

Does the introduction explain the objective of the research presented in the preprint?

Yes

The introduction of the preprint explicitly outlines the objective of the research after detailing the context and the study's structure. Specifically, the objective is to analyze, from a qualitative and documentary perspective, how financial education can be configured as a comprehensive path toward financial freedom by incorporating technical, emotional, cognitive, and sociocultural dimensions. This statement is provided within Section 1, the Introduction, which frames the study by noting the persistence of structural phenomena like chronic indebtedness and low savings rates despite expanded access to financial information, highlighting the gap between knowledge available and actual economic behavior.

Are the methods well-suited for this research?

Somewhat appropriate

The methods utilized in the research, consisting of a qualitative, descriptive, and documentary approach that applies thematic content analysis, are well-suited for the study’s objective of analyzing how financial education can be configured as a comprehensive path to financial freedom by incorporating technical, emotional, cognitive, and sociocultural dimensions. This approach is appropriate for deeply understanding complex phenomena related to social, behavioral, and educational aspects, and the researchers integrated a critical and transdisciplinary perspective connecting theories from behavioral economics, financial psychology, critical education, and economic sociology. The methodology included a critical review of academic literature, institutional reports, and specialized publications selected based on thematic relevance, timeliness, academic validity, and geographic diversity, aiming to encourage reflection and problematization. However, the study acknowledges its documentary and descriptive nature as a limitation, noting that this structure restricts the possibility of generalizing findings to broader empirical contexts and prevents the direct comparison of theoretical proposals with the actual perceptions and behaviors of individuals, due to the absence of fieldwork. Consequently, while the methods are well executed for a theoretical and argumentative study and provide a good foundation for the synthesis of key concepts, the acknowledged constraints on generalizability and empirical validation prevent them from being considered highly appropriate for drawing fully robust conclusions across all aspects of the research.

Are the conclusions supported by the data?

Somewhat supported

The conclusions of the research are reasonably supported by the data, given the study’s specific methodological constraints, as the findings result directly from the thematic content analysis and critical review of secondary sources. The study argues that financial education must be comprehensive, contextualized, and oriented toward developing practical, emotional, and critical skills to achieve financial freedom, an argument consistently derived from the synthesis of academic literature, institutional reports, and specialized publications. Conclusions, such as the persistent financial failures being linked to deficiencies in emotional and cognitive dimensions, align with the evidence identified in the documentary analysis. However, the study explicitly acknowledges its documentary and descriptive nature as a limitation, noting that this methodology restricts the possibility of generalizing findings to broader empirical contexts and prevents the direct comparison of theoretical proposals with the actual perceptions and behaviors of individuals because of the absence of fieldwork. Therefore, while the conclusions are a reasonable interpretation of the existing theoretical material, these self recognized constraints mean they are not highly supported across all empirical contexts.

Are the data presentations, including visualizations, well-suited to represent the data?

Highly appropriate and clear

The data presentations employed in this study are highly appropriate and clear for representing the qualitative and documentary nature of the research, making the conceptual framework easy to interpret. Given that the study uses a qualitative, descriptive, and documentary approach relying on thematic content analysis of secondary sources rather than generating original quantitative data, the visualizations focus on structuring the argument and methodology. Specifically, an Evolutionary Map (Table 1) was developed to synthesize the internal logic and conceptual progression of the Theoretical Framework, outlining the five key components, associated ideas, principal references, and the transitions between them. Furthermore, a Methodological Outline (Figure 1) is used as a Radial Model to organize the six interrelated components of the methodological process, including the thematic axes and transdisciplinary perspective, which effectively communicates the integrative and reflective design of the study. These structured presentations serve as highly effective and clear organizational tools for conveying the complex conceptual architecture of a theoretical analysis.

How clearly do the authors discuss, explain, and interpret their findings and potential next steps for the research?

Very clearly

The authors discuss, explain, and interpret their findings and potential next steps with exceptional clarity, depth, and insight. The discussion thoroughly interprets the findings of the documentary analysis, concluding that persistent financial failures are directly linked to deficiencies in the emotional and cognitive dimensions of financial education, arguing that literacy is insufficient if not linked to attitudes and self concept. They provide a clear and nuanced interpretation of financial freedom, defining it not as the accumulation of wealth but as the ability to make autonomous, informed economic decisions aligned with one’s own values and life goals, implying balance and holistic well being. The authors demonstrate insight by explicitly detailing the study’s main limitations, which include its documentary and descriptive nature restricting the generalization of findings to broader empirical contexts and the absence of fieldwork preventing the direct comparison of theoretical proposals with actual perceptions and behaviors. Consequently, they outline clear and specific next steps for research, recommending advancing studies that examine the relationship between financial education, subjective well being, and economic decision making across diverse variables, and designing experimental programs that integrate emotions, life purpose, sustainability, and personal leadership as pillars of transformative financial education.

Is the preprint likely to advance academic knowledge?

Highly likely

The preprint is highly likely to advance academic knowledge because it offers significant contributions that substantially advance understanding of financial education and financial freedom by moving beyond traditional views. The study's main contribution is offering a critical and transdisciplinary reinterpretation of financial education that transcends conventional approaches focused merely on technical content transmission. It proposes financial education as a process of personal and social empowerment aimed at comprehensive well being, economic justice, and sustainability, linking knowledge, action, and being

Would it benefit from language editing?

No

The language employed across the preprint excerpts is formal, precise, and consistently clear, allowing for effective communication of the complex theoretical and methodological elements. Concepts, such as financial education being interpreted as a comprehensive path incorporating technical, emotional, cognitive, and sociocultural dimensions, and financial freedom being defined as the capacity for agency and deliberation about material life, are articulated using appropriate academic terminology. There are no readily apparent grammatical errors or confusing expressions that hinder the comprehension or interpretation of the study's findings, objective, or critical analysis.

Would you recommend this preprint to others?

Yes, it’s of high quality

Is it ready for attention from an editor, publisher or broader audience?

Yes, as it is

Competing interests

The author declares that they have no competing interests.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The author declares that they did not use generative AI to come up with new ideas for their review.