ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES: THE ROLE OF EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF PARENTS AND PERCEIVED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ON GRADUATION

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is often highly ranked as a solution to the soaring rate of unemployment among the youths. This study ascertains whether employment status of parents and perceived employment opportunity on graduation influence entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention, and whether entrepreneurial orientation positively relates with entrepreneurial intention among undergraduates.Design was cross-sectional and data were collected with self-report questionnaire. Convenient sampling technique was adopted. Two hundred and twenty-eight undergraduates were drawn from final year students of a State-owned university in south-south Nigeria. Of the total participants, 51 have both parents self-employed, 84 have both parents on paid employment, while 93 have either of the parents self-employed or on paid employment. The participants comprised 120 males, 107 females, 211 married and 5 unmarried. Their age mean was 24 years (SD. 2.84). Data analyses revealed that undergraduates do not differ in entrepreneurial orientation (F (df; 2,225)= .69, p > 0.05), and do not differ in entrepreneurial intention (F (df; 2,225 = 1.02, p> 0.05) on the basis of emplo yment ) status of parents. Analysis also showed that undergraduates do not differ in entrepreneurial intention (F (df; 2,226) = 2.87, p> 0.05) on the bases of perceived employment opportunity on graduation, and that there was a significant positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention (r =.63(df;226) =.63 p<.001) among undergraduates. It was concluded that employment status of parents does not influence entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention. Future studies should draw samples from a few universities.