Challenges in the Era of Globalization - iaabd

Proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference © 2011 IAABD
confidence (3.3), imaginative skills, (3.1), independence (3.1), and persistence (3.1). The chi-squares (X 2 )
for the various competencies examined with p-value ranging between 0.05 > p > 0.01 are indicative of a
significant association between entrepreneurship education and key enterprising competencies and skills
development at between 95% and 98% confidence level. This finding supports the hypothesis H2 that
entrepreneurship education influences students’ enterprising competencies and skills development.
The finding further suggests that the engendering key enterprising competencies and skills examined are
aided by both tertiary education and entrepreneurship education. This is revealing indeed especially
against the backdrop that entrepreneurship education is a semester course compared to degree
programmes as a whole extending over a four- year period at tertiary level. Evidently acquisition of
creativity is possible in the university environment. This finding demonstrates that the university
environment appears to stimulate students towards acquisition of creativity.
Table 3 outlines the students’ career intentions before exposure to entrepreneurship programme.
Interestingly over 77% (77.4% or n=24) of the respondents initially intended to go into employment
compared to 16.1% (n=5) who wanted to further their studies. However, 6.5% (n=2) initially aspired to
self-employment.
Table 3. Immediate Career Intentions of Respondent Prior to Entrepreneurship Course
No. %
Further studies 5 16.1
Employment 24 77.4
Self-Employment 2 6.5
Total 31 100
Table 4 presents the results of the respondents’ immediate career intentions, which is within one to two
years of graduation. The majority of the respondents 64.5% (n=20) aspire to work in the employment of
others. It was also instructive that 25.8% (n=8) of the respondents aspire to work for themselves
following the exposure to entrepreneurship. Apparently, a career in the employment of others represents
the major career intentions and aspirations of both groups of respondents. The correlation co-efficient
between students’ exposure to entrepreneurship or not and career intentions suggest that there is a
significant relationship between exposure to entrepreneurship and career intentions (Kendal’s tau_b =
0.591, p < 0.05). The level of significance is at 98% confidence level.
Table4. Immediate Career Intentions of Respondents after Graduation
No. % Correlation Tests
Further studies 1 3.2 Kendall’s tau_b 0.528
Employment 20 64.5 Significance 0.05 (two-tailed)
Self-Employment 8 25.8 Spearman’s rho 0.602
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