Determinants of Self-Employment Intentions among Students in Tanzania Higher Learning Institutions

Abstract

This study aimed at examining determinants of self-employment intentions among students in Tanzania higher learning institutions. The study was guided by the theory of planned behavior which postulates that an intention is influenced by the attitude toward behavior, the subjective norms of the behavior, and the individual’s control of the behavior. The study used Mzumbe University as a case study from which 400 respondents were drawn by using a simple random sampling technique. A standard questionnaire was used to collect data and a study attained a response rate of 82%. Data analysis involved multiple linear regression analysis. The study found that gender (β=-.028, p=.751) and academic performance (β=.016, p=.671) had no significant relationship with self-employment intentions of students while entrepreneurship education (β=.303, p=.000) and having parents who are self-employed (β=.211, p=.031) had significant relationship with self-employment intentions. The study recommends higher learning institutions to have curriculums that help students to acquire entrepreneurship education sufficiently. Moreover, students are advised to have personal initiatives in looking for entrepreneurship knowledge and skills. Parents are also recommended to establish businesses as their main or alternative sources of income in order to influence entrepreneurial tendencies in the current and coming generations as a solution towards unemployment problem.