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The impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intention of engineering students in Hong Kong

Hongyi Sun (City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, China)
Choi Tung Lo (Occupational Health and Safety Council, Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
Bo Liang (City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, China)
Yuen Ling Belle Wong (City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, China)

Management Decision

ISSN: 0025-1747

Article publication date: 21 August 2017

2582

Abstract

Purpose

Theory of planned behavior (TPB) has been used to study the impact of entrepreneurial education (EE) on entrepreneurial intention (EI) for more than 20 years, yet an intensive literature review reveals that there are gaps in both the conceptual models and the research methods. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of EE on EI with a view to address the gaps in previous research.

Design/methodology/approach

This research proposes a conceptual model that links the entire antecedent variables of TPB and the elaborated four components of entrepreneurship education (Why, What, How, and Who). The model is tested by a structural equation modeling with the empirical data from 200 engineering students from three universities in Hong Kong.

Findings

The empirical test reveals that the four components of entrepreneurial education do influence attitude, social norm, self-efficacy, and EI, correspondingly. Additionally, it also reveals that the four EE components and the three TPB antecedent variables are also interrelated with each other.

Originality/value

This study bridges specific education components and EI, providing significant insight into how the key components influence the entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions of students. It fills the gap in the knowledge required for fostering EI through entrepreneurship education. It not only answers the question on whether EE influences EI but also on how to nurture the intention by designing a relevant EE course.

Keywords

Citation

Sun, H., Lo, C.T., Liang, B. and Wong, Y.L.B. (2017), "The impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intention of engineering students in Hong Kong", Management Decision, Vol. 55 No. 7, pp. 1371-1393. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-06-2016-0392

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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