Entrepreneurial Intentions among Engineering Students: Applying a Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective

Abstract

This research employs the Theory of Planned Behavior in an attempt to identify the factors that exert an influence on the entrepreneurial intentions of undergraduate students. The authors hope to contribute to understanding the process of entrepreneurial intentions in engineering students in the context of a developing country, taking as an example engineering students in the city of Medellín.Descriptive field and cross-sectional research was conducted using a quantitative methodological design. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The sample was made up of 636 undergraduate engineering students. Following validation, statistical Somers' D was used to evaluate the associations between the constructs found in the Theory of Planned Behavior. It proved possible to corroborate the influence of attitudes, perceived behavioral control, current behavioral control and entrepreneurial behavior on the intention of engineering students to create a business in the future. The authors propose that current behavioral control is the most influential factor on entrepreneurial intention in engineering students. Consequently, university entrepreneurial education initiatives and efforts to motivate entrepreneurship need to be accompanied by programs that help students identify business opportunities and financial mechanisms that will allow fledgling entrepreneurs to feel confident in their personal capacities (attitudes) and their ability to access financial support to help them create businesses.

Factores que favorecen la realización de proyectos investigativos en estudiantes universitarios

“…Se recogen las diversas hipótesis planteadas y se mide su grado de asociación por medio del estadístico D de Somers. Este coeficiente corresponde a una medida de asociación entre dos variables ordinales que toma un valor comprendido entre -1 y 1, donde los valores próximos a 1, en valor absoluto, indican una fuerte relación entre las dos variables y los valores próximos a cero indican que hay poca o ninguna relación entre las dos variables (Valencia-Arias y Montoya, 2020). Así mismo, el coeficiente D de Somers fue extraído del software SPSS y ubicado en una tabla de factores cruzados, para que fuera posible observar el grado de asociación entre los factores del modelo; en la tabla 4 evidencia todas las relaciones establecidas entre los constructos del modelo propuesto.…”

Intención emprendedora de estudiantes universitarios de modalidad virtual

“…Como explica Soria-Barreto et al (2016), la intención emprendedora se podría definir como el autorreconocimiento de la convicción de crear un nuevo negocio, lo que implica una planificación consciente para llevar a cabo este objetivo en el futuro. De esta manera, tanto los valores del estudiante, como la cultura, su entorno familiar, social y educativo influyen en el deseo de crear su propia empresa.…”

The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education, Perceived Behavior Control, and Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy on Pre-Service Teacher Candidates’ Entrepreneurial Intention

“…On the other hand, some researchers have adopted similar concepts regarding individual EI, such as: career orientation and entrepreneurial emergence, to determine EI. (Gunawan, 2020;Valencia-Arias et al, 2018). Entrepreneurial intention is an important variable in determining student entrepreneurial behavior, so it is important to create programs that support increasing student EI.…”