Abstract
Entrepreneurship is a major solution to the problem of
unemployment resulting from multifaceted socio-economic challenges in the
developing world. If engineers become entrepreneurs, it will create jobs, promote
technological development, and enhance sustainable national economic growth.
The process of entrepreneurship begins with the development of the intention to
engage in such an enterprise; therefore, this study assessed the entrepreneurial
intentions of university engineering students. To accomplish this task, Ajzen's
theory of planned behavior is applied. A survey was conducted at the Faculty of
Engineering, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria, using a structured
questionnaire administered to 470 engineering students in 2021. The collected
data were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS)
version 20. The SPSS results of the descriptive and regression analyses show that
entrepreneurial intentions could be studied statistically using Ajzen's theory. The
results revealed that personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived
behavioral control were statistically significant in determining engineering
students' entrepreneurial intentions, while education level was not significant.
Based on these results, the study recommends that engineering and
entrepreneurship educators develop an integrated program to bridge the gaps
between the engineering program and entrepreneurship education. It also
recommends that engineering faculty leaders collaborate with entrepreneurial
engineers who have successfully promoted entrepreneurship development in
higher education institutions. Most importantly, the government is advised to
provide loans and other structural incentives to assist young entrepreneurial
engineers who wish to do so.
unemployment resulting from multifaceted socio-economic challenges in the
developing world. If engineers become entrepreneurs, it will create jobs, promote
technological development, and enhance sustainable national economic growth.
The process of entrepreneurship begins with the development of the intention to
engage in such an enterprise; therefore, this study assessed the entrepreneurial
intentions of university engineering students. To accomplish this task, Ajzen's
theory of planned behavior is applied. A survey was conducted at the Faculty of
Engineering, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria, using a structured
questionnaire administered to 470 engineering students in 2021. The collected
data were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS)
version 20. The SPSS results of the descriptive and regression analyses show that
entrepreneurial intentions could be studied statistically using Ajzen's theory. The
results revealed that personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived
behavioral control were statistically significant in determining engineering
students' entrepreneurial intentions, while education level was not significant.
Based on these results, the study recommends that engineering and
entrepreneurship educators develop an integrated program to bridge the gaps
between the engineering program and entrepreneurship education. It also
recommends that engineering faculty leaders collaborate with entrepreneurial
engineers who have successfully promoted entrepreneurship development in
higher education institutions. Most importantly, the government is advised to
provide loans and other structural incentives to assist young entrepreneurial
engineers who wish to do so.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 4 |
| Pages (from-to) | 85-97 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (IJEP) |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Jul 2022 |