PERCEIVED STRATEGIC ENTREPRENEURIAL PLANNING AND OPPORTUNITY RECOGNITION SKILLS NEEDED TO COMBAT YOUTH RESTIVENESS IN NORTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was conducted to ascertain the perceived strategic entrepreneurial planning and opportunity recognition skills needed to combat youth restiveness in North-West, Nigeria. It was guided by two specific purposes, two research questions and two null hypotheses. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consist of three hundred twenty-four (324) Business Education lecturers in eleven (11) tertiary institutions in North-West Nigeria. The sample size of the study comprised 179 Business Educators (123 males and 56 females). A proportionate sampling technique was used to apportion the sample size to each of the institutions under study. A 4-point rating scale questionnaire titled “Strategic Entrepreneurial Skills Rating Scale” (SESRS) developed by the researcher was used as an instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts and further tested for reliability using the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient test. The result showed an overall reliability coefficient of 0.85. Data was analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and a t-test to test the research hypotheses at 0.05 Alpha level of significance. The findings revealed that the respondents strongly agreed to planning and opportunity recognition as strategic entrepreneurial skills needed to combat youth restiveness. In addition, there is no significant difference in the mean score of male and female Business Educators on planning skills needed as entrepreneurial strategy; no significant difference in the mean score of Business Educators in urban and rural on strategic entrepreneurial opportunity recognition skills. It was recommended among others that agencies and persons concerned with planning curricula for entrepreneurship education and training should incorporate the teaching and learning of strategic planning and opportunities recognition in the curriculum.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0011/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>