Improving Financial Awareness Among College Students: Assessment of a Financial Management Project

Abstract

The effect of a financial management intervention on college students' financial behavior was examined. The intervention strategy, a form of expenditure tracking, focused on consciousness-raising and was implemented among 170 undergraduate students. Qualitative analysis of participants' self-reflection papers revealed that awareness of spending behaviors increased universally among participants. Increased awareness of spending behavior, combined with other processes of change from the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change, resulted in a significant proportion of students modifying spending behaviors to more closely conform to personal values. Participants consistently reported the importance of spending management tools.