Entrepreneurship education and students’ entrepreneurial intentions at selected tertiary institutions in Durban.
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Date
2023
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Abstract
Entrepreneurship continues to receive much recognition worldwide from both the academic
and corporate ends. High unemployment and failing economies amongst other factors have
resulted in various stakeholders supporting the promotion of entrepreneurship. Educational
institutions have since taken a leading role in promoting entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship
courses have been introduced in universities to prepare students for entrepreneurship,
institutions in South Africa have played their role in this regard. Emphasis has however been
placed on the implementation of interventions that promote entrepreneurial development.
Targeted interventions must be implemented to promote entrepreneurship behaviour. This
study sought to determine the extent to which entrepreneurship education can enhance
entrepreneurial activity as the researcher proposes entrepreneurship education as a key
determinant of entrepreneurship intention. The results of the study were intended to benefit
formal entrepreneurship education curriculum development towards the promotion of
entrepreneurial intention and behaviour. The study followed a quantitative research approach
and a survey research design. A sample of 280 students was selected from 1 000 undergraduate
students enrolled for entrepreneurship courses in two public Universities in Durban: University
of KwaZulu-Natal and Durban University of Technology. Using a self-administered structured
questionnaire which was electronically distributed, data was collected from 197 students and
analysed using SPSS version 27. The findings of the study concluded that there was a positive
significant relationship between entrepreneurship education and students’ entrepreneurial
intentions (r= .79, p< 0.01). The results of the regression analysis however indicated that the
best predictor of entrepreneurship education was subjective norms (B= .347; t= 3.783, p< 0.01).
Results from T-tests analysis indicated that students who attended extracurricular (workshops,
conferences, seminars) entrepreneurship programs offered on campus (M= 59.44, SD= 15.603)
differed significantly with those who did not (M= 52.53, SD= 16.654). Students’ verbal
responses indicated that entrepreneurial education must be augmented with practical education
and extra-curricular entrepreneurship activities. The study provides recommendations to
university education curriculum developers, policy makers and university management on the
successful implementation of entrepreneurship education. Formal entrepreneurship education
should be augmented with extra-curricular entrepreneurship activities such as business plan
competitions, business workshops, entrepreneurship seminars and coaching sessions with
industry experts and entrepreneurs.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.