Title: Entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions of university students

Authors: João Conrado De Amorim Carvalho; Maria José Madeira; Fabio Santos Carvalho; Pedro Eugenio López Salazar; Beatriz Corchuelo Martínez-Azúa

Addresses: UNDB – Centro de Ensino Superior Dom Bosco, Av. Colares Moreira, 443 CEP, 65075-441, São Luís, MA, Brazil ' Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI), Convento de Sto. António, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal ' UNDB – Centro de Ensino Superior Dom Bosco, Av. Colares Moreira, 443 CEP, 65075-441, São Luís, MA, Brazil ' Universidad de Extremadura, Av. de Elvas, s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain ' Universidad de Extremadura, Av. de Elvas, s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain

Abstract: This paper focuses on identifying how entrepreneurial intent is produced among college students and what is the impact of educational methodologies on this process. In parallel, the research seeks to understand if demographic variables have an impact on entrepreneurial intent. To achieve the proposed objectives, a questionnaire was made based on the approach presented by Ajzen (1985) in the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Data were obtained from 204 university students from Brazilian universities through electronic questionnaires, applied descriptive statistics techniques, factor analysis and multiple correlation. The results showed that the entrepreneurial intentions of higher education students do not change significantly over the years, are little influenced by age and are more urgent in men than in women. Entrepreneurial intentions are most strongly influenced by pressure from social groups (subjective norms) and achieve better responses in universities that use active pedagogical practices.

Keywords: entrepreneurial intention; active methodologies; student-centred pedagogy; entrepreneurial behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHES.2020.108624

International Journal of Higher Education and Sustainability, 2020 Vol.3 No.1, pp.52 - 73

Received: 05 Dec 2019
Accepted: 01 Feb 2020
Published online: 21 Jul 2020 *

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