Counseling Undergraduates to Embrace Entrepreneurship in South East Nigeria

Abstract

Changing the mindsets of undergraduates to embrace entrepreneurship through counselling might change the High graduate unemployment in Nigeria. This is a quasi-experimental study employing the Pretest Posttest Control Group Design. Using the Entrepreneurship Perception Questionnaire (EPQ), the baseline perception of 3000 undergraduates (1500 male, 1500 female) on entrepreneurship was obtained. 180 volunteer undergraduates with low perceptions towards entrepreneurship formed the study group. Their baseline perception was obtained. The treatment group was exposed to structured counseling program with Rationale Emotive Therapy and Cognitive Restructuring Technique at the base. The EPQ was re -administered on the study group at posttest and one month follow-up periods. Using percentage and t test, the results revealed a significant gender difference only at baseline, and a significant difference between the experimental groups at both posttest and follow-up periods. It was recommended that counseling undergraduates to embrace entrepreneurship should precede entrepreneurship studies in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study were highlighted. Further research should focus on changing the mindset of parents and teachers as well. Those in the control group were exposed to the treatment package at the end of the study to ensure that they benefited from the program. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n6p77