Entrepreneurial skills and socio-cultural factors: An empirical analysis in secondary education students
ISSN: 0040-0912
Article publication date: 8 August 2016
Issue publication date: 8 August 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how entrepreneurial skills (such as creativity, proactivity and risk tolerance) and socio-cultural factors (such as role model and businessman image) affect secondary education students’ propensity towards entrepreneurial options in their future careers.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of secondary education students in the Region of Murcia (Spain) has been used. Data were collected through questionnaires and analysed using logit estimation. Confirmatory factorial analysis was used to validate the measures.
Findings
The results of this research study show that both the skills and socio-cultural factors positively affect entrepreneurial intention of secondary education students. Creativity, proactivity and risk taking promote entrepreneurial career. In addition, those students whose role model is an entrepreneur and have a better understanding of him or her, show a greater propensity towards entrepreneurial career.
Originality/value
The contribution to the literature on entrepreneurship is twofold. First, although there are studies focused on identifying the entrepreneurial profile of university students, there is a paucity of empirical evidence relating to entrepreneurial skills at earlier stages of learning. This paper sets out to bridge this research gap. Second, evidence of the importance of socio-cultural factors, role models and entrepreneurial image upon the career orientation of secondary education students is identified and empirically verified. These findings involve are useful in practice, in aiding the design of better and more relevant education programmes at early learning stages.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank “Consejería de Educación, Universidades y Empleo” of the Murcia Region and to the Local Development Agency (ADLE) of the City of Cartagena for the very fruitful collaboration in the project.
Citation
Rosique-Blasco, M., Madrid-Guijarro, A. and García-Pérez-de-Lema, D. (2016), "Entrepreneurial skills and socio-cultural factors: An empirical analysis in secondary education students", Education + Training, Vol. 58 No. 7/8, pp. 815-831. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-06-2015-0054
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited