The Role of Entrepreneurship Education in Cultivating Entrepreneurial Intentions Among Students: Evidence from the University Context

Abstract

This study aims to explore the effect of Entrepreneurship Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions of university students with the perspective of three components namely: Entrepreneurial Knowledge, Entrepreneurial Skills Development and Experiential Entrepreneurial Learning. The main goal was to examine the relationships and prediction of these dimensions' effects on students' entrepreneurial intentions. The method used was quantitative research with the number of respondents in the study which was 353 students of the University who were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The reliability and validity of the measurement scales were evaluated by the Cronbach's Alpha (α) and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure. The results showed satisfactory reliability and sampling adequacy for all variables. The correlation results showed the strong positive and statistically significant relationships between Entrepreneurial Knowledge (r = .847, p < .001), Entrepreneurial Skills Development (r = .864, p < .001), Experiential Entrepreneurial Learning (r = .699, p < .001) and Entrepreneurial Intentions. Also, multiple regression analysis showed that all three dimensions were significant in predicting Entrepreneurial Intentions. Entrepreneurial Skills Development was the biggest predictor (β = .486, p < .001), next was Entrepreneurial Knowledge (β = .247, p < .001), and Experiential Entrepreneurial Learning was the third (β = .245, p < .001). The overall regression model was highly significant (F = 466.659, p < .001) with an R² of .800 which indicates that 80% of the variance in Entrepreneurial Intentions was explained. The results indicate that the role of entrepreneurship education in the entrepreneurial intentions among students is significant. The study finds that increased entrepreneurial knowledge, building of entrepreneurial skills and experiential learning opportunities can greatly stimulate students to choose entrepreneurship as a career. The findings have important implications for educational institutions, policy makers, and entrepreneurship educators who wish to foster future entrepreneurs and enhance economic development.