Exploring the Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intention With the Theory of Planned Behaviour on Tunisian University Students

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to employ a longitudinal approach to assess the effects of entrepreneurship education (EE) on students’ entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) through the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which include attitudes towards behaviour (ATB), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioural control (PBC). Specifically, this study aims to achieve two objectives: first, to determine if students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs would increase significantly after their exposure to EE; and second, to establish whether students’ ATB, SN and PBC mediate the relationship between EE and their EIs.Design/methodology/approachThis longitudinal study employed a one-group pretest-posttest experimental research design. A self-reported questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of 250 National Diploma students from five polytechnics in the North Central part of Nigeria before and after they were exposed to EE. To achieve the objectives of this study, repeated-measures t-test and partial least squares structural equation modelling were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and SmartPLS, respectively, for data analysis.FindingsThe results of the paired-samples t-test showed that students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs increased significantly after their exposure to EE. Also, further data analysis revealed that EE had a significantly positive relationship with students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs. Similarly, the results of the structural model indicated that ATB had a significantly positive link with students’ EIs and also mediated the relationship between EE and students’ EIs. SN and PBC had a positive but not statistically significant relationship with students’ EIs and did not mediate the relationship between EE and students’ EIs.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide interesting implications for EE and entrepreneurship policies in Nigeria. More specifically, the findings provide some practical implications for the Nigerian government and the EE curriculum developers. To achieve greater impact of EE on students’ EIs at the tertiary education level, the Nigerian government should incorporate EE into the curricula at the primary and secondary education levels. Equipping students at the primary and secondary education levels with entrepreneurial knowledge, competencies and skills would enable them to develop a strong entrepreneurial mindset even before they gain admission to tertiary institutions.Originality/valueIt is one of the few studies that have tested empirically both the direct and the indirect effects of EE on students’ EIs in a single study. Thus, it helps to further clarify the links between EE and EIs. Besides, it is among the first studies to adopt a longitudinal approach to assess the effects of EE on students’ EIs through the constructs of the TPB (i.e. ATB, SN and PBC) in the Nigerian context.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurship education on university students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The study attempts to empirically determine the extent to which entrepreneurship education can shape students’ entrepreneurial intentions. A questionnaire-based survey is used to test the hypotheses examined. A pre-test-post-test group design was adopted to measure the change in students’ attitude, subjective norms, Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) and entrepreneurial intention using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A questionnaire was completed by 210 business students (out of 400), studying at a public university based in Athens, Greece, at the beginning of their 13-week compulsory course in Entrepreneurship. A second questionnaire was re-sent to the same students at the end of the course and they were asked to complete it. The second questionnaire was completed by 158 students from the original respondent group. The student participation was voluntary at both times. The sample was a convenience one given that the resources available were limited. The findings lent support to the theory and the hypotheses proposed. The authors report that attitude, PBC and entrepreneurial intention can be positively influenced by entrepreneurial education.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct effects of personality traits on entrepreneurial intention (EI), the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on EI, as well as the indirect effects of personality traits on EI through the elements of TPB. In order to enhance the originality of this study, the model of personality and the theory of planned behavior were combined to explain entrepreneurial intention (Zhang & Cain, 2017; Sousa, Blamey, Reason, Ramos, & Trigo, 2018). This study utilized a 55-item questionnaire to assess personality traits (openness to experience (O), conscientiousness (C), extraversion (E), agreeableness (A), neuroticism (N), and risk aversion (R)), the elements of TPB (attitude (AT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC)) and EI (Tsaknis, 2022). The study sample (n = 315) included students of the business department of a public university in Athens. The results indicate that C has a direct negative impact on EI. O, C and E have an indirect positive effect on EI through AT and PBC. N has an indirect negative effect on EI through PBC and finally R has an indirect negative effect on EI through AT and PBC. Finally, AT and PBC have a direct and positive effect on EI. The data were analyzed empirically using the Jamovi program and R language (Rosseel, 2012). In light of these findings, more studies are needed to corroborate and validate the findings presented here, especially in other settings.

Recent days, entrepreneurial development has become an extremely vital factor and it is considered as a key feature of economic development through contributing to reduce the unemployment rate, inequality, and poverty. In Sri Lankan context, entrepreneurs have become the seeds of development to provide greater opportunities, increase per capita income and revenue to the Government by the way of taxes and other levies. Despite its importance, Sri Lankan Government employs several entrepreneurial development programmes to enhance the entrepreneurship intention and behaviors among the university students. In this context universities focus more on delivering the entrepreneurial education programmes to the undergraduate and postgraduate students to transform them as the entrepreneurs who can contribute the economic prosperity of the country. However, reviewed literature reveals that how entrepreneurship intention mediates the relationship between perceived behavioral control and start-up preparation has not been empirically tested in Sri Lankan context. Hence, this paper aims to examine the relationships among perceived behavioral control, entrepreneurship intention and start-up preparation and the mediating effect of entrepreneurship intention on the relationship between perceived behavioral control and start-up preparation. In order to achieve the study objectives, primary data were collected from 60 postgraduates from a selected state university in Sri Lanka. The simple mediation analysis was used to test the research model. Findings of the study revealed that, there are positive and significant relationships exist among the study variables. Moreover, empirical finding of the study indicated that entrepreneurship intention mediates the relationship between perceived behavioral control and start-up preparation. The current study is considered to be vital in understanding the empirical knowledge regarding the relationships among perceived behavioral control, entrepreneurship intention and start-up preparation.
 Keywords: Perceived behavioral control, Entrepreneurship intention, Start-up preparation, Theory of planned behavior, Sri Lanka

Theaimof this study is to investigate the effect of entrepreneurship education (EE) through attitude toward behaviour (ATB), subjective norm (SN) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) on Entrepreneurial intention (EI) among University students in Nigeria. The study unit of analysis comprises of students from the three public universities in Kano State, Nigeria, namely, Yusuf Maitama Sule University Kano (YUMSUK), Bayero University Kano (BUK), and Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST) Wudilthat participated in entrepreneurship education programme (EEP) in 2017/2018 academic session. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the 345 target respondents while correlation and regression analysis was used as the data analysis method to test the study hypotheses. The findings revealed that attitude toward behaviour (ATB) and subjective norm (SN) hasa significant effect on EI while perceived behavioural control (PBC) has no significant effect on EI. The study suggests that university management should capitalize on EEP as a vehicle to improve student’s attitudes towards EI. The study contributes to the literature by investigating the effect of EE on EI among University students in Nigeria. The study is one of the few studies that was conducted in Northern Nigeria, particularly in the three public universities in Kano State. Thus, the findings of this study act as a strategic tool for university management to design their institutional policies in a way that captures an early phase of offering EEP to create knowledge of entrepreneurship for students in orderto sharpen their attitude toward behaviour and subjective norm toward EI.

Currently, there are two bottleneck problems in the research of college students’ entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial behavior: lack of comprehensive and systematic theoretical framework and empirical analysis to reveal the role path that affects entrepreneurial intention, and most studies ignore the gap between entrepreneurial intention and behavior. Based on the literature review, this study adopted the Theory of Planned Behavior as the theoretical framework introduced entrepreneurial situational factors and entrepreneurial implementation intention, and constructed a two-step extended entrepreneurial intention–behavior model. The structural equation was constructed using AMOS24.0 to empirically analyze the antecedent variables of college students’ entrepreneurial intention and the factors influencing entrepreneurial behavior. The empirical results showed that expected material possessions, expected social reputation, expected self-evaluation, mission and responsibility, and career development are the antecedent variables of entrepreneurial attitude. Support from families and friends, college teachers’ views, and the role models are antecedent variables of entrepreneurial subjective norms. Professional ability, entrepreneurial ability, entrepreneurial experiences, and personality traits are the antecedent variables of entrepreneurial perceived behavior control. In the formation stage of college students’ entrepreneurial intention, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and entrepreneurial situational factors have significant impacts on the formation of college students’ entrepreneurial intention, while entrepreneurial intention, perceived behavior control, and entrepreneurial situational factors have significant impacts on the transformation phase of entrepreneurial behavior. Entrepreneurial implementation intention plays an intervening role between entrepreneurial intention and behavior of college students.

PurposeThere have been few investigations regarding the relationship of gender and role models with students’ entrepreneurial intention (EI). The purpose of this study is to apply a conceptual framework to explain the relationship of gender and role models with the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) constructs: attitudes towards behaviour (ATB), subjective norms (SN), perceived behaviour control (PBC) and intentions.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on data collected from a questionnaire survey completed by 1,496 freshman Saudi students enrolled during the 2016-2017 academic year in business, finance and economics undergraduate programmes. To analyse the data and test the proposed hypotheses, a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) are applied.FindingsThe results show that the TPB constructs are validated in the specific Saudi context. In fact, these constructs were significantly related to EI. Only the SN and PBC constructs mediate the relationship between role models and EI. Furthermore, gender moderates the relationships of role models with EI, PBC with EI and role models with the SN. More precisely, this study reveals that gender differences in SN and PBC, and women’s EI are more likely to be influenced by the SN and PBC than men’s EI. However, PBC is a relevant determinant for both male and female students. These results differ from those of previous studies on gender influences. These results could be explained by two main reasons, such as women’s socialization and institutional processes.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation is that it was not possible to claim generalization of findings. Theoretical and managerial implications are proposed to add new evidence in the field. These results could help all stakeholders engaged in promoting entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia and stimulate appropriate and customized entrepreneurial initiatives, curriculum and policies for both men and women.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to conduct such investigations in Saudi Arabia and in institutions of higher education. This study removes the stereotypes about the entrepreneurial potential of women.

PurposeThis study aims to acknowledge the social capital challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), specifically the Maldives. As budding female entrepreneurs in a predominantly traditional culture are somewhat limited in their quest for economic empowerment, this study aims to clarify the role of social capital dimensions – structural, relational and cognitive – in shaping entrepreneurial intentions among women in the Maldives.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered from 325 female business students from ten tertiary educational institutions in the Maldives. After establishing its validity and reliability, the data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling, including hypothesis testing.FindingsStructural social capital (SSC) has a significant positive influence on attitude (ATE), subjective norms (SNs), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and entrepreneurial intention (EI). Relational social capital (RSC) has a significant positive influence on ATE and SNs and a significant negative influence on PBC and EI; cognitive social capital (CSC) has a significant positive influence on ATE, SNs and PBC, but does not significantly influence EI. Additionally, ATE, SNs and PBC are significantly associated with EI. The results also show that the indirect and direct effects through the mediation of ATE, SNs and PBC are significant in the relationship between SSC, RSC and EI. Furthermore, this study reveals an indirect effect on the relationship between CSC and EI.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings outline the intricate mechanism by which social capital influences EI. These findings provide useful insights for establishing policies and organising relevant programmes to promote female entrepreneurship in SIDS.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine the role of social capital in a unique setting, such as SIDS. Moreover, this study integrates the heterogeneous role of social capital into the female EI model. This highlights the urgency of developing relevant social capital among women to promote EI.

This study proposes to explore the Arab East College's male and female master's students' entrepreneurial intentions (EI), towards creating their own businesses, by examining three factors: personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior. Further, this paper proposes to examine whether there were gender differences regarding entrepreneurial intention. In this paper, all variables were evaluated, by using factor analysis, validity, reliability, descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression analysis. The total number of questionnaires distributed was 1088 while the number of returned questionnaires was 358, for a response rate of 33%. The findings of this paper revealed that students' personal attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were significantly associated with each other. However, when regression analysis was performed, it showed that personal attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior alone could explain only 6% of the variability of the dependent variable (entrepreneurial intention).

This study aims to explore how innovation, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control impact entrepreneurial intention. It investigates the influence of innovation on attitudes and examines whether attitudes mediate the relationship between innovation and entrepreneurial intentions. The research follows a deductive quantitative approach, utilizing surveys as the primary research design. Analysis of both the outer and inner models was conducted using SmartPLS 3.0 software. The sample size of 140 respondents was selected through purposive sampling. Validity constructs and reliability tests were employed to assess the instruments used for testing. The findings affirm the positive impact of innovation, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control on entrepreneurial intentions. Specifically, innovation significantly and positively affects entrepreneurial intentions directly, while subjective norms and perceived behavior control also directly contribute positively to entrepreneurial intentions. Attitudes play a role as a partial mediator between innovation and entrepreneurial intentions. Based on these empirical results, managerial implications suggest enhancing entrepreneurial innovation alongside focusing on subjective norms and perceived behavior control to bolster entrepreneurial intention.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the entrepreneurial intention of business students, with an emphasis on their masculine and feminine characteristics, instead of the usual classification male / female. While recent studies have increased the understanding of the implications of being a man or woman (sex differences) on entrepreneurial intention, papers which examine whether masculinity and/or femininity (gender differences) impact entrepreneurial intention are rare. The following paper offers insights into the latter research gap by quantitatively investigating the genderedness of intentions of business students, which is of particular importance for fostering entrepreneurship. The Theory of Planned Behavior is used as underlying framework, with entrepreneurial intention as dependent variable and its three antecedents (‘attitude towards behavior’, ‘subjective norms’, and ‘perceived behavior control’). A survey is administered and filled out by 501 Belgian business students of different universities. Masculinity and femininity are measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory Model. The results are analyzed by structural equation modeling. Students with high masculinity have significant higher entrepreneurial intentions than students with low masculinity. There is a significant association between masculinity and entrepreneurial intentions through the mediating role of attitude towards behavior and subjective norms. Furthermore femininity has a positive impact on entrepreneurial intentions with subjective norms as mediator. This study contributes to the debate which personality traits influence entrepreneurial intention and further deepens the discussion how educators could approach different types of students in order to stimulate their interest in entrepreneurship. Previously conflicting results about the impact of sex on entrepreneurial intention can perhaps be solved if studies are in the future enriched with socially constructed gender variables.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of proactive personality (PP), entrepreneurship education (EE) and entrepreneurial opportunities (EO) on shaping entrepreneurial intentions (EI) among university students through attitude toward entrepreneurship (ATE) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) according to Ajzen’s (1985) theory of planned behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe study used questionnaires to collect data from university students enroled in undergraduate programmes. A total of 209 surveys were successfully collected. SPSS and SmartPLS 3.0 software were used to analyse and test nine hypotheses derived from the intentions-centred model.FindingsThe results supported seven hypotheses. There were positive relationships between PP and ATE; PP and PBC; EE and ATE; EO and ATE; EO and PBC; ATE and EI; and PBC and EI. However, there were no relationships between EE and PBC, and subjective norms and EI.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used a cross-sectional survey and self-report data which hinder conclusively making correlational inferences. In addition, the various developmental stages of students may influence perceptions of EI.Practical implicationsThe empirical findings provide new insights for policymakers, educators and academics about the antecedents governing EI. This study also enhances the understanding of the preconditions for EI, which can be utilised by practitioners to encourage and manage graduate entrepreneurship.Originality/valueThis study advances an intentions-based model which suggests a simultaneous presence of the three core factors, PP, EE and EO for an effective formation of EI. By doing so, the study addresses the issue of the scarcity of investigations on the combined effects, thus closing the research gap and bringing new perspective to the antecedents-intentions nexus of graduate entrepreneurship.

Purpose: This paper investigates the entrepreneurial intentions of orange farmers in Muheza, Tanzania, by validating the extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Design/Methodology/ Approach: The study used a quantitative method approach, with cluster and simple random sampling, to recruit 349 orange farmers. The survey was conducted on 349 small-scale orange farmers in Muheza. To test the model, the constructs of entrepreneurship training, farmers’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control and entrepreneurial intention inputs were validated, followed by factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings: The study's results revealed the crucial role of perceived behaviour control and attitudes in driving the entrepreneurial intention of orange farmers. This significant influence underscores the importance of these factors in the development of entrepreneurial intention among orange farmers. It was also found that attitudes and perceived behaviour control predicted the entrepreneurial intention of orange farmers but not subjective norms, providing valuable insights for future research and policy development. Research Limitation: This study primarily focused on orange farmers in the Tanga Region, specifically in the Muheza District. Practical Implication: The findings suggest a clear path for action. To foster and enhance the entrepreneurial intentions of orange farmers, the government and policymakers should concentrate on instilling positive attitudes and controlling perceived behaviour. By promoting a positive stance toward entrepreneurship, we can significantly boost the willingness of orange farmers to engage in commercial farming, thereby contributing to the growth and development of Tanzania's agricultural sector. Social Implication: The study recommends policy options focusing on cultivating positive attitudes and perceived behaviour control among orange farmers to increase entrepreneurial intention, requiring concerted efforts from the government and policymakers. Originality / Value/ Novelty: It contributes to the body of knowledge, addressing the gap regarding the drivers influencing orange farmers' entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, establishing validated drivers of entrepreneurial intention among Tanzanian orange farmers could significantly assist the government in promoting economic development and achieving its vision of becoming a semi-industrialized country.

This paper aims to clarify the determinants of entrepreneurial intention of orange farmers in Muheza, Tanzania by validating the extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) developed by Ebewo, Rugimbana & Shambare, (2017). In these days where entrepreneurial development is seen as the core contributor to enhance business and facilitate economic development, the best possible determinants of entrepreneurial determinants are required. The survey was conducted to 349 small scale orange farmers in Muheza. To test the model, the constructs of entrepreneurship training, farmers’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control and entrepreneurial intention inputs were validated followed by factor analysis and structural equation modeling. results show the positive and significant influence of perceived behaviour control, attitudes towards entrepreneurship as the significant determinants in the development of orange farmers’ entrepreneurial intention. Further, the findings validate the developed intentional entrepreneurship training model and enhances the body of knowledge by highlighting the key skills required by farmers in entrepreneurship training programmes. It was also found that, entrepreneurial intention of orange farmers was predicted by attitudes and perceived behaviour control but not subjective norms. To inculcate and increase orange farmers’ entrepreneurial intention, the government and policy makers should focus on cultivating positive attitudes and perceived behaviour control so that to spread positive stance to entrepreneurship in order to enhance the willingness of orange farmers to engage in commercial farming.

This study describes internship experiences contribution as an antecedent on the relationship between Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and entrepreneurial intention. Internship experiences can be divided into five aspects: sensory experiences, affective experiences, physics experiences, cognitive-creative experiences and relation experiences. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the TPB and its impact on entrepreneurial intention. This research used descriptive quantitative method and the technique of data analysis used Structural Equation Model-Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS).The respodents of the research are fourth and fifth year students of economics education. This research showed that : (1) There were a positive and insignificant influence between sensory experiences and attitude toward behavior; there were a negative and insignificant influence between sensory experiences and subjective norm; there were a positive and insignificant influence between sensory experiences and perceived behavior control. (2) There were a positive and insignificant influence between affective experiences and attitude toward behavior; there were a positive and insignificant influence between affective sensory experiences and subjective norm; there were a negative and insignificant influence between affective experiences and perceived behavior control.(3) There were a negative and insignificant influence between physic experiences and attitude toward behavior; there were a positive and insignificant influence between physic experiences and subjective norm; there were a negative and insignificant influence between physic experiences and perceived behavior control. (4) There were a positive and significant influence between cognitive-creative experiences and attitude toward behavior; there were a positive and significant influence between cognitive-creative experiences and subjective norm; there were a positive and significant influence between cognitive-creative experiences and perceived behavior control. (5) There were a positive and insignificant influence between relational experiences and attitude toward behavior; there were a positive and insignificant influence between relation experiences and subjective norm; there were a positive and insignificant influence between relation experiences and perceived behavior control. (6) There were a positive and significant influence between attitude toward behavior, subjective norm and perceived behavior control to the entrepreneurial intention.