A Phenomenological Study of Lower Class University Students’ Financial Self-reliance

Objectives This study explored the experience and essence of lower class university students’ financial self-reliance using a phenomenological approach. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted on four lower class university students in capital area .The interview data were analyzed using phenomenological analysis of Colaizzi. Results The findings were organized into two categories, five essential themes, and 10 sub themes. The first category was ‘the awareness in the process of financial self-reliance’ which included three themes ‘the reason of financial self-reliance’, ‘parents’s response’ and ‘a lifestyle’. The second category was ‘recognizing the meaning in the process of financial self-reliance’ which included the themes ‘developmental tasks’ and ‘infulences of financial self-reliance’. Participants experienced not only hardship in reality but psychological growth. Conclusions The implication has the meaning of understanding the experiences and essence of lower class university students in the process of self-reliance. The study would contribute to basic data for psycho-educational intervention. Moreover, this study provides policy implication for curriculum/extracurricular courses in the school context.