Entrepreneurship Education and Attitude towards Entrepreneurship: The Mediating Influence of Entrepreneurship Inclination Among Students of Applied Sciences
Abstract
In this study, the researcher looked into the association between Entrepreneurship Education and Attitude towards Entrepreneurship as well as the mediating effect of Entrepreneurship Inclination amongst students of Applied Sciences at University of Sargodha. The study was concerned with the assumption that entrepreneurship education helps in developing an attitude towards entrepreneurship through developing the inclination towards entrepreneurship amongst the students. The quantitative research design was utilized in this study. Three hundred students were selected randomly from Faculty of Applied Sciences of the university for data collection purpose. The data collection instrument consisted of the questionnaire including items of Entrepreneurship Education, Attitude towards Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship Inclination. The results have shown that students viewed Entrepreneurship Education at a moderate level (M = 3.20). At the same time, Attitude towards Entrepreneurship (M = 3.49) and Entrepreneurship Inclination (M = 3.58) were also seen at a moderate level. Correlation analysis found that there were significant positive relationships between Entrepreneurship Education and Attitude towards Entrepreneurship. University Role and Teaching Methodology also had moderate positive relationships with entrepreneurial attitudes. However, Curricula had the highest connection with Opportunity Alertness. The results of mediation analysis have confirmed that Entrepreneurship Inclination significantly mediated the influence of Entrepreneurship Education on Attitude towards Entrepreneurship. Thus, the direct influence of Entrepreneurship Education on entrepreneurial attitude was significant (β = 0.124, p < .001). At the same time, the indirect effect of the variable on entrepreneurial attitude through Entrepreneurship Inclination was significant (β = 0.113, 95% CI [0.069, 0.162]). Consequently, the total effect was β = 0.237. Partial mediation was found. Therefore, it can be concluded that Entrepreneurship Education positively affects attitudes towards entrepreneurship directly and indirectly through Entrepreneurship Inclination. It is necessary for universities to improve their entrepreneurship curricula, apply experiential teaching, and create institutional support.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education, Attitude towards Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Inclination, Applied Sciences Students, Mediation Analysis, University of Sargodha.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22844921
