Abstract
Anyone who desires to improve their standard of living, alleviate poverty, and have an opportunity over others regarding employment and profession needs to receive an education. However, there are various struggles that students encounter in their journey. Thus, this qualitative study scrutinized the financial challenges of grade 11 students and how they cope with them. Twelve (12) informants eligible to participate in the study were interviewed through focus group discussion (FGD). In utilizing Colaizzi’s method, three themes emerged, and these are (1) Insufficient amount of daily allowance, (2) Relying on one income, and (3) Prioritization of Wants over Needs. Most informants revealed that they only have an average daily budget of fifty pesos, with almost half of that amount going toward transportation expenses, forcing them to forgo buying food for their snacks. Also, relying on one source of income is seen as a financial challenge because some of the informants have siblings who are also enrolled in school, necessitating them to take on side jobs to supplement their income. They prioritize their wants over their necessities, another noteworthy response from the informants. They assert that they must change their perspective and put personal needs before personal wants when making financial decisions. The researchers concluded that teachers should spend some time engaging in in-depth dialogues with their students and giving them a variety of inquiries about their lives and daily activities.
