Drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial intentions among university students: an integrated model from a developing world context
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 3 February 2021
Issue publication date: 22 February 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to integrate and extend two models of entrepreneurial intention to investigate the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial intention among intermediate undergraduate university students in Nigeria. Specifically, this paper aims to introduce education for sustainable entrepreneurship into the integrated model, thereby fitting the model into the context of sustainable entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was gathered with the help of a structured questionnaire from 435 students of a university in Nigeria. The students passed through a special entrepreneurship training in which they were educated on the concept and practice of sustainable entrepreneurship. SmartPLS was used to test the proposed structural model.
Findings
The findings revealed that education for sustainable entrepreneurship significantly influences all variables of the integrated model, but has nonsignificant direct influence on sustainable entrepreneurial intention. Sustainable entrepreneurial intention is significantly driven by attitude and propensity to act. Therefore, the inclusion of education for sustainable entrepreneurship into the regression equation adds to its explanatory power.
Originality/value
This study contributes toward understanding of sustainable entrepreneurial intention of intermediate university students in a developing world context – Nigeria. Above all, it is among the few studies that shed light on the strength of education for sustainable entrepreneurship in the formation of sustainable entrepreneurial intention among students. This study proposes integration and extension (by adding education for sustainable entrepreneurship) of the theory of planned behavior and entrepreneurial event model in learning about students’ intentions to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers and Deputy Editor for timely and thorough review of this paper. Also, the authors thank Professors Madichie Nnamdi, Gazie S. Okpara and Ogwo Ekeoma Ogwo for finding time to edit this manuscript.
Citation
Agu, A.G., Kalu, O.O., Esi-Ubani, C.O. and Agu, P.C. (2021), "Drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial intentions among university students: an integrated model from a developing world context", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 659-680. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-07-2020-0277
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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