Readiness for Independent Economic Living of Youths in Poverty; A Comparative Perspective for High School Economic Education Between Youths in Poverty and Common Youths

The purpose of this paper is to compare the differences of readiness for independent economic living between youths living in poverty and common youths on the themes of knowledge, skills and values and attitudes. To accomplish the purpose, the following analysis was conducted; documentary and statistical analysis based on the survey. The following are the major findings of this study. First, the economic knowledge of youths living-in-poverty was lower than average, showing a strong aspiration to learn employment readiness skills and financial management skills. Second, youths living in poverty had significantly lower economic knowledge and lower will for independent economic living than those of common youths, even catching significantly higher skills in employment readiness. Third, it was found that sex, family cohesiveness, and school atmosphere made very significant effect on the readiness for independent economic living of both youths, even some differences between the groups. From these findings, some implications for the economic education for youths living in poverty can be suggested.