Promoting Entrepreneurial Intention of Vocational College Students Through the Assessment of Influencing Factors in Hangzhou, China
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to examine the factors influencing entrepreneurial intention of vocational college students in Hangzhou, China. Eight variables were selected for analysis, including entrepreneurship education programs, entrepreneurial motivations, attitude towards behavior, subjective norms, attitude towards entrepreneurship, perceived behavioral control, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention. Research design, data, and methodology: The researcher conducted a quantitative study with a sample size of 500 students from five colleges of a vocational institution in Hangzhou, China. The sampling strategies were conducted through judgmental, stratified random, and convenience sampling. The questionnaires were distributed online and offline to complete the data collection. The researcher then analyzed the data using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to assess the model fit, reliability, and validity. Results: Entrepreneurship education programs significantly affected entrepreneurial intention through attitude towards behavior and subjective norms. Furthermore, entrepreneurial motivations affected entrepreneurial intention through attitude towards behavior and perceived behavioral control. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy significantly influences entrepreneurial intention. Conclusions: Nine hypotheses were proven to achieve the research objectives. Therefore, significant attention is given to developing and designing entrepreneurship education programs to stimulate students' entrepreneurial motivation and enhance their entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perception of entrepreneurship. This, in turn, contributes to enhancing the entrepreneurial intentions of university students.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The submitting author warrants that the submission is original and that she/he is the author of the submission together with the named co-authors; to the extend the submission incorporates text passages, figures, data, or other material from the work of others, the submitting author has obtained any necessary permission.
Articles in this journal are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY What does this mean?). This is to get more legal certainty about what readers can do with published articles, and thus a wider dissemination and archiving, which in turn makes publishing with this journal more valuable for you, the authors.
References
Acheampong, G., & Tweneboah-Koduah, E. Y. (2018). Does past failure inhibit future entrepreneurial intent? Evidence from Ghana. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 25(5), 849-863. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsbed-03-2017-0128
Ahmed, T., Chandran, V. G. R., & Klobas, J. (2017). Specialized entrepreneurship education: does it really matter? Fresh evidence from Pakistan. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 23(1), 4-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-01-2016-0005
Ahmed, T., Chandran, V. G. R., Klobas, J. E., Liñán, F., & Kokkalis, P. (2020). Entrepreneurship education programmes: How learning, inspiration and resources affect intentions for new venture creation in a developing economy. The International Journal of Management Education, 18(1), 100327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.100327
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-t
Ajzen, I. (2001). Nature and operation of attitudes. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 27-58. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.27
Ajzen, I. (2012). The theory of planned behavior. In P.A.M. Van Lange, A.W. Kruglanski, & E.T. Higgins (Eds.), The Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology (pp. 438-459). SAGE Publications.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior (1st ed.). Englewood, NJ: Prentice-Hall
Audretsch, D. (2012). Entrepreneurship research. Management Decision, 50(5), 755-764. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211227384
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological review, 84(2), 191-215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.84.2.191
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control (1st ed.). W.H. Freeman and Company.
Bird, B. (1988). Implementing entrepreneurial ideas: The case for intention. Academy of management Review, 13(3), 442-453. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1988.4306970
Boyd, N. G., & Vozikis, G. S. (1994). The influence of self-efficacy on the development of entrepreneurial intentions and actions. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 18(4), 63-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/104225879401800404
Carr, J. C., & Sequeira, J. M. (2007). Prior family business exposure as intergenerational influence and entrepreneurial intent: A theory of planned behavior approach. Journal of business research, 60(10), 1090-1098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.12.016
Chang, M. K. (1998). Predicting unethical behavior: a comparison of the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of business ethics, 17, 1825-1834. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4126-3_21
Chen, C. C., Greene, P. G., & Crick, A. (1998). Does entrepreneurial self-efficacy distinguish entrepreneurs from managers?. Journal of business venturing, 13(4), 295-316. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0883-9026(97)00029-3
Collins, C. H., Grange, J. M., & Locke, E. A. (2004). Microbiological Methods (1st ed.). Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.
De Noble, A. F., Jung, D., & Ehrlich, S. B. (1999). Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy: The Development of a Measure and Its Relationship to Entrepreneurial Action. In Frontiers for Entrepreneurship Research (pp. 73-78). P&R Publication Inc.
Dunkelberg, W., Moore, C., Scott, J., & Stull, W. (2013). Do entrepreneurial goals matter? Resource allocation in new owner-managed firms. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(2), 225-240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.07.004
Echchabi, A., Omar, M. M. S., & Ayedh, A. M. (2020). Entrepreneurial intention among female university students in Oman. Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 12(4), 280-297. https://doi.org/10.1504/jibed.2020.110251
Fayolle, A., & Gailly, B. (2008). From craft to science: Teaching models and learning processes in entrepreneurship education. Journal of European industrial training, 32(7), 569-593. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590810899838
Fayolle, A., Gailly, B., & Lassas‐Clerc, N. (2006). Assessing the impact of entrepreneurship education programmes: a new methodology. Journal of European industrial training, 30(9), 701-720. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590610715022
Fayolle, A., & Liñán, F. (2014). The future of research on entrepreneurial intentions. Journal of Business Research, 67(5), 663-666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.11.024
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error: Algebra and Statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 382-388. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3150980
Fulgence, K. (2015). Assessing the status of entrepreneurship education courses in higher learning institutions: The case of Tanzania education schools. Education+ Training, 57(2), 239-258. https://doi.org/10.1108/et-05-2013-0063
García-Cabrera, A. M., García-Soto, M. G., & Durán-Herrera, J. J. (2016). Opportunity motivation and SME internationalization in emerging countries: Evidence from entrepreneurs’ perception of institutions. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 12, 879-910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-016-0386-7
Hair, J., Anderson, R., Tatham, R., & Black, W. (1998). Multivariate data analysis (5th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate data analysis (6th ed). Pearson Prentice Hall.
Hessels, J., Van Gelderen, M., & Thurik, R. (2008). Drivers of entrepreneurial aspirations at the country level: the role of start-up motivations and social security. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 4, 401-417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-008-0083-2
Hosseini Fard, T., & Mirarab, R. (2016). Investigating the role of entrepreneurship training in promoting quality of entrepreneurship, paper presented at the 2nd National Conference on New Issues in Accounting, Management and Entrepreneurship, Islamic Azad University of Minoodasht Branch, Minoodasht
Jones, C., & English, J. (2004). A contemporary approach to entrepreneurship education. Education+ training, 46(8/9), 416-423. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910410569533
Karimi, S., Biemans, H. J. A., Lans, T., Chizari, M., & Mulder, M. (2016). The impact of entrepreneurship education: a study of Iranian students’ entrepreneurial intentions and opportunity identification. Journal of Small Business Management, 54(1), 187-209. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12137
Karimi, S., Chizari, M., Biemans, H. J. A., & Mulder, M. (2010). Entrepreneurship education in iranian higher education: the current state and challenges. European Journal of Scientific Research, 48(1), 35-50.
Kautonen, T., Van Gelderen, M., & Fink, M. (2015). Robustness of the theory of planned behavior in predicting entrepreneurial intentions and actions. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 39(3), 655-674. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12056
Kitcharoen, K., & Vongurai, R. (2021). Factors Influencing Customer Attitude and Behavioral Intention Towards Consuming Dietary Supplements. AU-GSB E-JOURNAL, 13(2), 94-109.
Kolvereid, L., & Isaksen, E. (2006). New business start-up and subsequent entry into self-employment. Journal of business venturing, 21(6), 866-885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2005.06.008
Krueger, J. N. F., Reilly, M. D., & Carsrud, A. L. (2000). Competing models of entrepreneurial intentions. Journal of business venturing, 15(5-6), 411-432. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0883-9026(98)00033-0
Kumar, S., & Das, S. (2019). An extended model of theory of planned behavior: Entrepreneurial intention, regional institutional infrastructure, and perceived gender discrimination in India. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 11(3), 369-391.
Liñán, F., & Chen, Y. W. (2009). Development and cross–cultural application of a specific instrument to measure entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 33(3), 593-617. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2009.00318.x
Liñán, F., Rodríguez-Cohard, J. C., & Rueda-Cantuche, J. M. (2011). Factors affecting entrepreneurial intention levels: a role for education. International entrepreneurship and management Journal, 7, 195-218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-010-0154-z
Liñán, F., & Santos, F. J. (2007). Does social capital affect entrepreneurial intentions?. International Advances in Economic Research, 13, 443-453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11294-007-9109-8
Lopez, T., Alvarez, C., Martins, I., Perez, J. P., & Románn-Calderón, J. P. (2021). Students' perception of learning from entrepreneurship education programs and entrepreneurial intention in Latin America. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administración, 34(3), 419-444. https://doi.org/10.1108/arla-07-2020-0169
Luthans, F., & Ibrayeva, E. S. (2006). Entrepreneurial self-efficacy in Central Asian transition economies: quantitative and qualitative analyses. Journal of International Business Studies, 37(1), 92-110. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400173
Manning, M. (2009). The effects of subjective norms on behavior in the theory of planned behavior: A meta‐analysis. British journal of social psychology, 48(4), 649-705. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466608x393136
Martins, I., & Perez, J. P. (2020). Testing mediating effects of individual entrepreneurial orientation on the relation between close environmental factors and entrepreneurial intention. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 26(4), 771-791. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-08-2019-0505
Mwasalwiba, E. S. (2010). Entrepreneurship education: a review of its objectives, teaching methods, and impact indicators. Education+ training, 52(1), 20-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911011017663
Naktiyok, A., Nur Karabey, C., & Caglar Gulluce, A. (2010). Entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention: the Turkish case. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 6, 419-435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-009-0123-6
Naushad, M., Faridi, M. R., & Malik, S. A. (2018). Economic development of community by entrepreneurship: an investigation of the entrepreneurial intent and the institutional support to the local community in Al-Kharj region. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 5(4), 899-913. https://doi.org/10.9770/jesi.2018.5.4
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Otache, I. (2019). Entrepreneurship education and undergraduate students’ self-and paid-employment intentions: A conceptual framework. Education+ Training, 61(1), 46-64.
Paray, Z. A., & Kumar, S. (2020). Does entrepreneurship education influence entrepreneurial intention among students in HEI's? The role of age, gender, and degree background. Journal of International Education in Business, 13(1), 55–72. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIEB-02-2019-0009
Pedroso, C. B., Silva, A. L., & Tate, W. L. (2016). Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP): insights from a multi-case study of Brazilian organizations. International Journal of Production Economics, 182, 213-229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.08.035.
Perugini, M., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2001). The role of desires and anticipated emotions in goal-directed behaviors: Broadening and deepening the theory of planned behaviour. British journal of social psychology, 40(1), 79-98. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466601164704
Phan, P. H., Wong, P. K., & Wang, C. K. (2002). Antecedents to entrepreneurship among university students in Singapore: beliefs, attitudes, and background. Journal of Enterprising Culture, 10(02), 151-174. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0218495802000189
Reuber, A. R., Knight, G. A., Liesch, P. W., & Zhou, L. (2018). International entrepreneurship: The pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities across national borders. Journal of International Business Studies, 49(4), 395-406. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-018-0149-5
Sansone, G., Battaglia, D., Landoni, P., & Paolucci, E. (2021). Academic spinoffs: The role of entrepreneurship education. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 17(1), 369-399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-019-00601-9
Scherer, R. F., Adams, J. S., Carley, S. S., & Wiebe, F. A. (1989). Role model performance effects on development of entrepreneurial career preference. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 13(3), 53-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/104225878901300306
Schermelleh-Engel, K., Moosbrugger, H., & Müller, H. (2003). Evaluating the Fit of Structural Equation Models: Tests of Significance and Descriptive Goodness-of-Fit Measures. Methods of Psychological Research, 8(2), 23–74.
Shane, S. A., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 217-226. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.2791611
Shook, C. L., & Bratianu, C. (2010). Entrepreneurial intent in a transitional economy: an application of the theory of planned behavior to Romanian students. International entrepreneurship and management journal, 6(3), 231-247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-008-0091-2
Smith, J. R., & Louis, W. R. (2008). Do as we say and as we do: The interplay of descriptive and injunctive group norms in the attitude–behaviour relationship. British Journal of Social Psychology, 47(4), 647-666. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466607x269748
Solesvik, M. Z. (2013). Entrepreneurial motivations and intentions: investigating the role of education major. Education+ Training, 55(3), 253-271. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911311309314
Solesvik, M. Z., Westhead, P., Matlay, H., & Parsyak, V. N. (2013). Entrepreneurial assets and mindsets: benefit from university entrepreneurship education investment. Education+ Training, 55(8-9), 748-762. https://doi.org/10.1108/et-06-2013-0075
Souitaris, V., Zerbinati, S., & Al-Laham, A. (2007). Do entrepreneurship programmed raise entrepreneurial intention of science and engineering students? the effect of learning, inspiration, and resources. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(4), 566-591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2006.05.002
Stenholm, P., Acs, Z. J., & Wuebker, R. (2013). Exploring country-level institutional arrangements on the rate and type of entrepreneurial activity. Journal of business venturing, 28(1), 176-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2011.11.002
Stevenson, L., Daoud, Y., Sadeq, T., & Tartir, A. (2010). Global entrepreneurship monitor: GEM-MENA regional report 2009 (Middle East and North Africa). International Development Research Centre.
Thompson, E. R. (2009). Individual entrepreneurial intent: Construct clarification and development of an internationally reliable metric. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 33(3), 669-694. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2009.00321.x
Van Gelderen, M., Brand, M., Van Praag, M., Bodewes, W., Poutsma, E., & Van Gils, A. (2008). Explaining entrepreneurial intentions by means of the theory of planned behaviour. Career development international, 13(6), 538-559. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430810901688
Wanichbancha, K. (2014). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS (2nd ed.). Samlada.
Wennekers, S., Stel, A. V., Thurik, R., & Reynolds, P. (2008). Erratum: Nascent entrepreneurship and the level of economic development. Small Business Economics, 24(3), 293-309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-005-1994-8