Educational Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intention among Non-Engineering Students

Abstract

This study examines how educational factors shape entrepreneurial intention among non-engineering students. It focuses on five variables, viewed from the students’ point of view: syllabus, pedagogy, co-curricular activities, economic intention and need for motivation. Data were collected from 352 final-year commerce and management students in universities across Tamil Nadu, India, selected through stratified sampling, and were analysed using t-tests and WarpPLS. The results show that syllabus, co-curricular activities, economic intention and need for motivation have a positive influence on entrepreneurial intention, whereas pedagogy is reported to have a negative influence; together the five factors explain 73 per cent of the variance in entrepreneurial intention. The findings confirm earlier studies showing that students from non-engineering fields possess high entrepreneurial intention. Policy makers should ensure the effective implementation of policies on family businesses that persuade and sensitise the public to the benefits of entrepreneurship.