Ricardo Figueiredo Belchior and Roisin Lyons
Entrepreneurial intention (EI) has been studied prolifically, as a precursor to entrepreneurial action, and a desired outcome of entrepreneurship education. Yet, the paucity of…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial intention (EI) has been studied prolifically, as a precursor to entrepreneurial action, and a desired outcome of entrepreneurship education. Yet, the paucity of extant studies that analyze its temporal stability has been noted. This paper aims to address this gap by studying the temporal stability of EI, investigating its persistence as an attitudinal state over time.
Design/methodology/approach
A series of intraindividual and group-level longitudinal analyses were undertaken, over an 11-year period, using a student sample from Portugal. The authors highlight the magnitude of EI change over time, where item-structure, relative and absolute stability and group and individual-level EI changes are all considered.
Findings
Results indicate an initially strong to moderate EI item-structure stability and relative stability over the first five years, with moderate signs of deterioration. This deterioration becomes even more pronounced across the full 11-year period. Regarding EI absolute stability, while college students (as a group) did not display a general tendency to develop higher or lower EI during the first five years, a small deterioration was found over the 11-year period. At the individual level, EI instability was detected, and this increased with time. Finally, the exploratory results suggest that entrepreneurship education may buffer the deterioration of EI.
Practical implications
The findings provide a more nuanced reasoning for dampened EI–entrepreneurial behavior associations and highlight key determinants of EI change, which can inform educational experts and policymakers.
Originality/value
The legitimacy of the EI field lays heavily on the existence of a stable EI construct and a strong relationship between intentions and behavior. The methodology provides a new and more complete picture of EI’s temporal stability.
Details
Keywords
Ricardo Figueiredo Belchior and Roisin Lyons
Entrepreneurial motivations are considered key determinants of the direction, intensity and duration of entrepreneurial processes and outcomes. To measure attitudes and outcome…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial motivations are considered key determinants of the direction, intensity and duration of entrepreneurial processes and outcomes. To measure attitudes and outcome expectations related to an entrepreneurial career, researchers often use a set of predetermined behavioral beliefs or motivators. However, motivators can be numerous, context-specific and there is a lack of evidence regarding their stability over time. This study addresses this gap, while also providing a rich description of how Portuguese college students perceive entrepreneurship and how these perceptions relate to levels of entrepreneurial intentions (EI).
Design/methodology/approach
Using qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze data over a 5-year period, this study seeks to confirm existing evidence on entrepreneurship motivators' diversity and heterogeneity and to explore differences in motivators' temporal stability. Using an initial sample of 851 Portuguese college students and 3 different survey waves, this study first aggregates the most frequently cited motivators for EI to compile a series of meaningful motivational factors. Subsequently, it extensively analyzes the robustness of these factors by examining their validity against EI and stability over time.
Findings
Based on their superior association with EI and greater temporal stability, the findings suggest that entrepreneurship-intrinsic motivational factors are more relevant for college students' EI models. Prominently, being motivated to create one's own new business due to a particular occupational interest is the most consistently stable individual motivation.
Practical implications
The results may interest those studying entrepreneurial motivations and EI longitudinally and who invest in promoting entrepreneurial behavior of college students.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze entrepreneurship motivators/reasons' temporal stability, which is relevant for assessing their value for longitudinal entrepreneurship research and education. It is also the most complete assessment of Portuguese college students' perceptions of entrepreneurship.