Education as a key to provide the growth of entrepreneurial intentions

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the entrepreneurial intentions of higher education students in a private higher education institution (HEI), enrolled in the following courses: Business Management, Hospitality Management, Tourism and Business Relations.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative methodology was used through the application of a questionnaire in a private HEI located in the northern region of Portugal and 228 valid responses were collected.FindingsWe have found out that (1) the elder the students are, the higher is the probability that they will consider entrepreneurship as the first option to enter the job market; (2) the courses of Business Management and Hotel Management are those that influence the entrepreneurial intentions most positively; (3) the more prepared a student feels in order to start a business, the more likely he will become an entrepreneur; (4) to consider entrepreneurship as the first option to enter the job market is positively influenced by the dimensions of the Attitude Toward Enterprise (ATE), namely, leadership, creativity, achievement and personal control; (5) to have a business idea could be motivated by the course in which the students are enrolled in, if they feel they are prepared to start a business, and by the dimensions of ATE.Practical implicationsHEIs and/or regional governments may have an entrepreneurship support office, where students can get assistance in the process of creating their companies and develop innovative entrepreneurial models adapted to older students. The creation of “senior entrepreneurial ecosystems” can be an interesting path to be explored. HEIs can make extracurricular activities available to students. Policymakers must introduce entrepreneurship to primary and secondary education.Originality/valueThis study increases the understanding of the individual characteristics of the students in a private HEI, as well as the courses that positively influence entrepreneurial intentions.

Gamification to enhance engagement and higher order learning in entrepreneurial education

“…Insights, implications and future research Overall, the two cases studies indicate that when "ownership" of is transfers to students then gamification can engage students, impart knowledge and develop cognitive and affective competencies in entrepreneurial students. These findings complement and contribute to the extant literature on gamification (Cheong et al, 2014;Cheng, 2021;Buckley, 2015;Alsawaier, 2018;Albertazzi et al, 2019;Isabelle, 2020;Karakoç et al, 2020), entrepreneurial education (Neck and Greene, 2011;Nabi et al, 2017;Longva and Foss, 2018;Borges et al, 2021) and technology enhanced pedagogy specifically within entrepreneurial education (Antonaci et al, 2015;Henry et al, 2005;Lack eus and Middleton, 2015;Chen et al, 2021;Kauppinen and Choudhary, 2021). Study one explored student perceptions of the usefulness of gamification, allowing them to analyse gamification as a tool and apply their knowledge accordingly.…”

“…A number of articles provide updated accounts of its mainstreaming and proliferation (Solomon, 2007;Fayolle, 2013;Robinson et al, 2016;Nabi et al, 2017). Borges et al (2021) report that the growing interest of students in entrepreneurship has been mirrored by a growth in the extant literature examining the design and impact of entrepreneurial education (as distinct from other approaches to higher education). The distinctive characteristics of entrepreneurial education are captured by Harima et al (2021Harima et al ( , p. 1309 who explain that "the role of educators has been transformed from knowledgeable teachers to facilitators of learning environments as have students been transformed from passive learners to active entrepreneurial individuals".…”

Who wants to be an entrepreneur in the Balkans? From perceptions and beliefs to intentions

“…In societies with stronger family ties and more gender discrimination, an individual's social environment may not create the appropriate context for women to decide to become entrepreneurs. In those societies, formal institutions such as the government and the educational sector could play an important role to support prospective female entrepreneurs (Borges et al. , 2021).…”

Individual entrepreneurial orientation: comparison of business and STEM students

“…Other researchers also point to a link between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial behavior (Liñ an et al, 2018;Pittaway and Cope, 2007). HEIs do not provide only entrepreneurship courses but go beyond that by supporting the entrepreneurial attitudes of students (Bell, 2019;Kassean et al, 2015;Pinto Borges et al, 2021). However, the sheer list of courses, workshops, or other forms of support available at the university, even a very long list, may not reflect the way students view and feel this support.…”