Examining Chilean Students’ Interest in Entrepreneurship Education: The Effects of Self-Employment Perceptions, Self-Confidence, and College Type

Abstract

Considering the critical role entrepreneurship plays in socioeconomic development, investigating the factors that motivate students to pursue an entrepreneurial career track in higher education is important for researchers and policymakers. This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence Chilean college students’ intentions to choose entrepreneurship education. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 435 students studying in various private and public colleges in Talca, Chile. The results indicate that students’ interest in selecting entrepreneurship as a major is mainly driven by their perceptions of self-employment, self-confidence levels, and the type of college they attend. Additionally, our study findings reveal that students’ intentions to major in entrepreneurship and their prior exposure to entrepreneurship (e.g., having entrepreneur friends/family) are closely related to their likelihood of starting a business.