Effect of Entrepreneurship Education on Students Orientation Towards Entrepreneurship at the Malawi Polytechnic

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education has proliferated in universities following empirical studies linking it to entrepreneurship practice. The University of Malawi introduced entrepreneurship and innovation course to the bachelor of business administration programme and aims to make entrepreneurship a core module across academic programmes. This study assessed the effects of the entrepreneurship and innovation course on the entrepreneurial orientation of students thereby joining research into the investigation of the effects of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial orientation of students. A questionnaire was administered on a class of 58 students before commencement of the course and at the end of the course delivery to assess movement in students knowledge about entrepreneurship, attitudes towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms, self efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions that could be attributed to entrepreneurship education holding other factors constant over the period of study. The study found that entrepreneurship education positively effects students knowledge about entrepreneurship and their self efficacy; the self confidence in skills and competences that they can engage in entrepreneurship successfully. The study however found weak correlation between entrepreneurship education and students attitudes towards entrepreneurship and their entrepreneurial intentions and did not find any relationship between entrepreneurship education and students' subjective norms. Although attitudes, subjective norms and self efficacy are factors that influence intentions,which are an antecedent of behaviour within the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study found that entrepreneurship education positively and significantly effects self efficacy only within this framework.

The impact of entrepreneurship education on attitude, subjective norm and self-efficacy among undergraduates

“…Hence, there is a positive and significant relationship between entrepreneurship education and student attitude. Likewise, the results obtained in the research is similar to research by Mwatsika and Sankhulani (2016) entrepreneurship education creates positives waves that create positive student attitude. Hence, a positive mind and positive would incline graduates to engage in entrepreneurial activity.…”

“…Entrepreneurship education prepares students with entrepreneurial tools such as attitude, competencies, and skills (Abiah et al, 2017). Past research found that there is a correlation between entrepreneurship education and individual attitude toward entrepreneurship (Mwatsika and Sankhulani, 2016). Hence, attitude plays an important role in increasing entrepreneurial intention (Potishuk and Kratzer, 2017).…”

Entrepreneurial Behavior and Intentions among Bumiputera’s Students

“…Students lack exposure to the entrepreneurial world and receive an ineffective entrepreneurship education from their family or during college. A student's entrepreneurial intentions can be stifled without exposure and experience, or with only a moderate level of entrepreneurial behavior (Mwatsika, C., and Sankhulani, E. 2016;).…”

“…By 2020, the world's economic situation is expected to be more competitive due to the effects of globalization, such as free trade, advancement in technology and information, and diverse new opportunities that contribute to the destabilization of the business sector (Mwatsika and Sankhulani, 2016). _____________________________ Numerous studies have found that the entrepreneurial sector is an important alternative driver of a nation's economy that directly increases job opportunities (Mohamad, Abdullah, and Bakar, 2015;Nafukho and Muyia, 2010).…”

“…_____________________________ Numerous studies have found that the entrepreneurial sector is an important alternative driver of a nation's economy that directly increases job opportunities (Mohamad, Abdullah, and Bakar, 2015;Nafukho and Muyia, 2010). Studies from several countries, such as Malawi, Indonesia, India, South Africa, Greece, and Malaysia proved that entrepreneurship not only stabilized the country's economy, but also shaped its innovation, which increased business competitiveness, job opportunities, and individual incomes (Ghina, 2014;Mwatsika and Sankhulani, 2016). Countries that want to develop proactive human capital, an innovative economy, and high income need to invest in entrepreneurship education (Othman, Khasbullah, and Wahid, 2015).…”