An assessment of the effects of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions of University of Malawi graduates (the case of faculty of commerce)

Abstract

This research examined the effects of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions of University of Malawi UNIMA Graduates, the case of the Faculty of Commerce. The main objective of the study was to establish if there was a relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions of faculty of commerce graduates This research used the survey strategy and it was a comparative study. A sample of 317 faculty of commerce graduates from the period 2004 to 2014 was selected and self-administered questionnaires were distributed. Stratified sampling was used and the population was divided into four strata. In each stratum snowballing was used. The sample included BBA graduates (who were exposed to entrepreneurship education) and BAC graduates (who were not exposed to entrepreneurship education). The quantitative approach was used to establish if there was a relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions. Prior to administering the questionnaire to the respondents, it was pilot tested and the data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis in SPSS. The questionnaire was then amended to improve its quality. The researcher then conducted a Cronbach alpha test on the questionnaire and the result was 0.804 showing that it was a reliable tool for data collection. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data collected. The results show that there is a very weak relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurial personality traits were evident in both sets of respondents, but these were not correlated to entrepreneurship education. The study also revealed that there is a very weak correlation between entrepreneurship education and perceived desirability of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the findings revealed that entrepreneurship education at UNIMA does not have significant effects on the perceived feasibility of entrepreneurship among faculty of commerce graduates. Finally it was also revealed that there is no significant relationship between entrepreneurship education and the level of entrepreneurial activity the graduates are involved in.