Entrepreneurial Intention Among Engineering Students: Explanation Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior
Abstract
Entrepreneurship has increasingly become a crucial research field attracting
scholars and policymakers in recent decades as it plays a key role in accelerating economic
growth and addressing innovations for certain intractable social problems. Meanwhile,
engineering education is often regarded as an innovation-based environment that
emphasizes a solid background in applied science and fosters technological advancements
to support practical applications in a societal context. Drawing on Ajzen’s theory of
planned behavior with the extension of three additional constructs (i.e., perceived career
option, entrepreneurial knowledge, entrepreneurial personality traits), this study seeks
drivers of entrepreneurial intention among engineering students. In this study, the mass
survey was distributed to engineering students across many universities in Ho Chi Minh
City. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is utilized to test the conceptual framework.
Results from PLS-SEM highlighted the most significant influence of personal attitude on
the entrepreneurial intention. However, no direct relationship between perceived career
option and entrepreneurial intention or entrepreneurial knowledge and entrepreneurial
intention was found. Meanwhile, perceived self-efficacy had a complementary mediation
on the positive linkage between entrepreneurial personality traits and entrepreneurial
intention. From this research, the authors make some recommendations to foster
entrepreneurial intention of engineering students.