Entrepreneurial Intentions of South African university students: an application of the theory of planned behaviour

Brenner, Bianca

Entrepreneurial Intentions of South African university students: an application of the theory of planned behaviour

Thesis / Dissertation

2024

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Organisational Psychology

Faculty

Faculty of Commerce

Abstract

This study investigated the Entrepreneurial Intentions (EI) of South African students at three universities in the Western Cape, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). The research employed a two-phase design, starting with a less dominant qualitative exploration through nine interviews with students. Subsequently, a more prominent quantitative phase was carried out using an online survey questionnaire. The primary objective was to determine whether the TPB model influences EI over and above situational factors (prior entrepreneurial experience and knowledge of entrepreneurial support) and demographic variables. Contextual measures obtained from the qualitative phase, such as load-shedding and the South African economy, were also incorporated into the questionnaire. Usable responses were received from 523 students (N = 523), allowing for rigorous statistical analyses, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, and reliability assessments. Hierarchical Regression Analyses indicated that the TPB explained approximately 48.8% of the variance in EI over and above the situational, demographic and contextual factors. Of all the predictors of EI examined in this study, only race and prior entrepreneurial experience were found to significantly add to the predictive power of TPB in explaining EI. The findings suggest that the TPB influences EI among South African students, over and above situational, demographic and contextual factors.