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Assessing the Levels and Relationship of Entrepreneurial Attitude to Entrepreneurial Intention of ABM students from a University in Bacolod City
Beya Catrine L. Garbanzos
1, Chynna Beatrice D. Parreño
2, and Thea Jonieben V. Salvador
31 University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos 2 University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos 3 University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos Beya Catrine L. Garbanzos: [email protected]
Ms. Therese Amor P. Llavore
1University of Negros Occidental- Recoletos
Abstract: The interest in promoting entrepreneurship lies in the mindset or entrepreneurial attitudes
of an individual that make up the foundation for the entrepreneurial intention into venturing business to develop innovative solutions to social and environmental problems such as that arising from a pandemic (Ruiz-Rosa et al., 2020). This quantitative study attempts to describe and determine the difference and relationship of the level of entrepreneurial attitude of ABM students from a university in Bacolod City when grouped according to their sex and grade level to the level of their entrepreneurial intention. For an accurate computation of the results, the study utilized Sample Mean, Mann-Whitney U Test, Spearman Rank Correlation, and objectively interpreted the tabular results. A survey questionnaire which consists of topic-related questions was disseminated among ABM university students and revealed that students show a high level of positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship and much more concrete entrepreneurial intentions in having a business in mind.
The data proved that there is no significant difference in determining the levels of entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention. Only there was a significant finding in entrepreneurial attitude in terms of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge because ABM students' knowledge is dependent on the level of entrepreneurial education they receive. Moreover, the relational hypothesis was rejected wherein there was a significant relationship in identifying the levels and relationship of entrepreneurial attitude to entrepreneurial intention [r (104) = 0.593, p = 0.000*]. This study will be a valuable reference for DepEd, Bacolod Chamber Commerce and Industry, entrepreneurs, and related studies.
Keywords: entrepreneurial attitude; entrepreneurial intention; COVID-19 pandemic; grade 11 and
grade 12 ABM students; quantitative study
1. INTRODUCTION
Globally, the field of entrepreneurship is steadily rising, with an increasing number of emerging enterprises across several countries. A recent study by Hamdan et al. (2021) stated that in the past decade, multiple studies have proven that
there has been a substantial economic rise in countries like China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Indonesia, and Poland due to the increased interest in entrepreneurship. Similarly, throughout the years, the number of start-up businesses in the country continued to increase, with more young entrepreneurs emerging in the industry, seizing
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Therese Amor P. Llavore ,1 Research Adviser
University of Negros Occidental- Recoletos
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2 their chances to make a name for themselves and their growing careers. According to Tan et al. (2021), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that there were over a million businesses and enterprises operating in the country by 2019. However, the consistent thriving of entrepreneurial ventures was held back due to the unprecedented outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Engidaw, 2022). Furthermore, a growing number of students in higher education realize they want to be entrepreneurs. However, due to the current COVID- 19 pandemic, it is expected that this will have a big impact not only on business development but also on the creation of future entrepreneurs (Lopes et al., 2021). With both aspiring and current entrepreneurs placed in a tense situation, certain entrepreneurial behaviors arise, and up-to-date decisions have to be made in order to keep their business operating despite the new environment.
Entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial attitude are two main concepts in understanding cognitive behaviors.
These concepts are part of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) that helps explain how changes in the business environment and the uniqueness of every individual affect their perception and behavior towards entrepreneurship (Ajzen, 2011). According to Sarasvathy (2015), when someone engages in business, an entrepreneur scans and evaluates the environment where the business will be built, envisions operating transactions, then he or she will establish the mission and objectives as well as critical areas, performance, and strategies that may apply. For them, the need to start and operate a business is usually driven by a person’s attitudes and intentions toward a particular behavior. In this study, the researchers specifically examined the level of entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention of ABM students from a university in Bacolod City towards entrepreneurship when grouped according to sex and grade level.
It is important to understand the entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention of young people, as they are the keys to establishing further success in the entrepreneurship and business industry. The quality of entrepreneurs depends on the way they behave which is contingent on their attitudes and intention. Due to the pandemic, the attitude and intention of aspiring entrepreneurs need to be understood as current events may have altered their motivations and drive towards entrepreneurial ventures. Entrepreneurs must put emphasis on applying appropriate characteristics and creative thinking processes in approaching diverse and unpredictable business
environments so they can utilize what is currently available and adaptable for them.
With this quantitative research, the researchers aimed to statistically describe and determine the level of entrepreneurial attitude and intention of ABM students according to their sex and grade level, which is supported by conducting a survey of Senior High School students from a university in Bacolod City. Specifically, the researchers identified the level of entrepreneurial attitude of the students in terms of the most common factors of entrepreneurial attitudes found in TPB. The following were integrated by the researchers in the study and they are namely Entrepreneurial Skills/Knowledge, Creative and Innovative Mindset, Flexibility, and Determination. In addition, the study aimed to test hypotheses of the relationship between the level of entrepreneurial attitude and the level of entrepreneurial intention of ABM students from a university in Bacolod City.
Proportionate with this is to complement the Goal 8 of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 Agenda, which says: to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.”
2. METHODOLOGY
2.1 Theoretical Framework
To describe and determine the level of entrepreneurial attitude and intention of ABM students according to their sex and grade level, the researchers integrated in this study the theories of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) of Icek Ajzen (1985), Social Feminist Theory (SFT) adapted by Ordaz et al. (2016), and Model of Entrepreneurial Event (MEE) which developed by Shapero and Sokol (1982).
The main theory that this study anchored chiefly on is the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) which represents entrepreneurship behavior as the result of entrepreneurship intention, which in turn is an outcome of three antecedents which are attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (Ndoferepi, 2018). Therefore, TPB is significant since it states that a person's intention to launch a new business will be influenced by how their values and attitudes have evolved. Another theory that this study used is
3 the Social Feminist Theory (SFT) which explains that men and women differ in their motivations toward entrepreneurship and in aspects that are generally considered in entrepreneurship.
Thus, the SFT gives insights on how there may be different displays of attitude and intentions on entrepreneurship, and identifies the attitudes and intentions based on the students’
sex. Last supporting theory of the study is the Model of Entrepreneurial Event (MEE) by Shapero and Sokol (1982), which is an intention-based theory that expounds on the inclination and propensity of an individual to engage in entrepreneurship. In this study, it acts as a basis if the intentions change in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, as a trigger event, in a positive or negative way. Therefore, the SFT, TPB, and MEE frameworks propose that entrepreneurship intention has much to do with perceived favorable social perceptions and attitudes towards entrepreneurship as well as a perceived entrepreneurial attitude and capability within a manageable barrier context.
2.2 Participants and Procedure
The participants of this study were all bona fide Senior High ABM students from a university in Bacolod City.
The total population of ABM students in the university was 146, and a sample size of 106 was utilized in the study. In acquiring these participants, a purposive sampling method was used, as the participants have been divided into groups: Grade 11 and Grade 12 and male and female.
The researchers gathered 44 participants in Grade 11 ABM and 62 participants in Grade 12 ABM. They sent formal consent letters to the ABM Strand advisers and requested them to allow the researchers to disseminate the questionnaires to their advisory class. Observing ethicality, the researchers also sent formal consent letters to make the participants aware of the research study’s objectives, and the participants’ approval and consent to participate in the study. Moreover, the researchers responsibly informed the participants about the pursuit of confidentiality and privacy of the study.
2.3 Data Analysis
Descriptive, comparative, and correlational analysis were utilized in the entire study, mainly to determine the level of entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention of ABM students from a university, to find out the significant difference in the level of entrepreneurial attitude and level of entrepreneurial intention when the participants are grouped
according to sex and grade level, and identify the significant relationship between the level of entrepreneurial attitude and level of entrepreneurial intention as a whole, respectively.
The statistical treatments used for the analyses were Sample Mean, Mann-Whitney U Test, and Spearman Rank Correlation to accurately compute the results. After, the results were summarized and interpreted to see if the research’s goals were met and the research’s questions were answered.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1.
Summary of the level of entrepreneurial attitude of ABM students from a university in Bacolod City
Entrepreneurial
Attitude 𝑿̅ DR
Entrepreneurial
Knowledge/Skills 3.88 High
Creativity 3.76 High
Flexibility during Pandemic
3.74 High
Determination 3.88 High
Overall 3. 82 High
In summary, as shown in Table 1, the overall level of entrepreneurial attitude of the ABM students according to their sex and grade level has a mean score of 3.82, which was interpreted as high. Taking them individually, the entrepreneurial knowledge/skills have 3.88, which was high, creativity with 3.76, flexibility during the pandemic with 3.74, and determination with 3.88 were also all interpreted as high, consecutively. The researchers used the Sample mean to get the results.
Based on the results, the level of creativity among students plays a significant role in their entrepreneurial attitude. This was also proven by the study of Chua and Bedford (2016),
4 which stated that entrepreneurs are able to thrive because of the numerous unique innovations they have in their businesses which are made through their creativity. It also proved Abun et al. (2019) which stated that an entrepreneur is known for possessing the quality of determination because it contributes to the entrepreneur’s capacity to achieve success and avoid failure.
Table 2.
Level of entrepreneurial intention among ABM students from a university in Bacolod City when grouped according to sex and grade level
Variables n M SD Interpretation Sex
Male 19 3.58 0.73 High
Female 87 3.79 0.58 High Grade Level
Grade 11 44 3.72 0.56 High Grade 12 62 3.78 0.65 High As a whole 106 3.75 0.61 High Table 2 showcased the data of the level of entrepreneurial intention among ABM students from a university in Bacolod City when grouped according to sex and grade level. To get these results, the researchers used the Sample Mean. As a whole, the ABM students’ entrepreneurial intention, when grouped according to their sex and grade level, shows a mean score of 3.75, which, according to the Mean scale, was represented as high.
According to Abun et al. (2019), the entrepreneurial intention is appraised as a personal orientation towards having a business in the future. The results above showed that the ABM students, regardless of their sex and grade level, were likely to make an action and a move that involves engaging with the entrepreneurial industry because of their strong intent
.
Table 3. Difference in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students from a university in Bacolod City when grouped according to sex
Variable Sex n Mean Rank
U z p
Entrepreneurial Skills/
Knowledge
Male 19 47.66 715.50 -0.925 0.355 Female 87 54.78
Creativity Male 19 57.84 744.00 -0.688 0.491 Female 87 52.55
Flexibility Male 19 47.71 716.50 -0.913 0.361 Female 87 54.76
Determination Male 19 44.79 661.00 -1.388 0.165 Female 87 55.40
Note: the difference is significant when p<0.05
In Table 3, Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine the significant difference in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students from a university in Bacolod City in terms of entrepreneurial skills/knowledge, creativity, flexibility, and determination when grouped according to sex.
The difference was not significant in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students when grouped according to sex for p-values obtained was higher than 0.05.
The findings disproved the study by Shneor et al. (2013), which stated that male students exhibit greater entrepreneurial behavior levels than females. It showed that both sexes have the same level of entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students in terms of entrepreneurial skills/knowledge, creativity, flexibility, and determination. It also means that whether the student is male or female, they still have the same level of entrepreneurial attitude.
Table 4. Difference in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students from a university in Bacolod City when grouped according to grade level
Variable Grade
Level n Mean
Rank U z p
Entrepreneurial
Skills/Knowledge Grade 11 44 41.65 842.50 -3.381 0.001*
Grade 12 62 61.91
Creativity Grade 11 44 50.63 1237.50 -0.821 0.411
5 Table 4. Difference in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students from a university in Bacolod City when grouped according to grade level
Grade 12 62 55.54
Flexibility Grade 11 44 51.91 1294.00 -0.452 0.651 Grade 12 62 54.63
Determination Grade 11 44 47.70 1109.00 -1.664 0.096 Grade 12 62 57.61
Note: the difference is significant when p<0.05
In Table 4, Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine the significant difference in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students in terms of entrepreneurial skills/knowledge, creativity, flexibility during the pandemic, and determination when grouped according to grade level. The difference was not significant in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students in terms of creativity, flexibility during the pandemic, and determination, when grouped according to grade level for p- values obtained, was more significant than 0.05. It showed that both grade levels have the same entrepreneurial attitude in terms of creativity, flexibility during the pandemic, and determination. On the other hand, the difference was significant in the entrepreneurial attitude among ABM students in terms of entrepreneurial skills/knowledge when grouped according to grade level p = 0.001*. It showed that Grade 12 participants have a higher entrepreneurial attitude in terms of entrepreneurial skills/knowledge than Grade 11 students.
The results proved the study conducted by Burger et al.
(2005) that revealed Grade 12 students’ previous knowledge about entrepreneurship has a stronger impact on their entrepreneurial attitude. This explained that students in a higher level of entrepreneurship education have more knowledge because they were exposed to more advanced courses and tasks as compared to those in the lower years.
Table 5. Difference in the level of entrepreneurial intention among ABM students from a university in Bacolod City when grouped according to sex and grade level
Variable n Mean Rank
U z p
Sex
Male 19 48.97 740.500 -0.710 0.478 Female 87 54.49
Grade Level
Grade 11 44 51.25 1265.000 -0.636 0.525 Grade 12 62 55.10
Note: the difference is significant when p<0.05
In Table 5, Mann-Whitney U test was also used to determine the significant difference in the level of entrepreneurial intention among ABM students when grouped according to sex and grade level. The p-value shown in the table has a computed score of 0.478. This revealed that there was no significant difference in the level of entrepreneurial intention among ABM students when grouped according to sex, and grade level for p-values obtained was greater than 0.05. It showed that both sexes and grade levels have the same level of entrepreneurial intention.
The results proved the study of Esnard-Flavius (2010) which stated that women can still have the same level of entrepreneurial attitude, intention, and competencies as men do, and it only depends on the theoretical possibility of each person being influenced by an external environment and their own personal lifestyle.
Table 6. Relationship between the entrepreneurial attitude of ABM students from a university in Bacolod City and entrepreneurial intention
Variable r df p
6 Level of
entrepreneurial intention
x Level of entrepreneurial attitude
0.593 104 0.000*
Spearman Rank Correlation was used to determine the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention of ABM students from a university in Bacolod City. The relationship was significant between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention of ABM students during the pandemic [r (104) = 0.593, p = 0.000*].
This means that there was a strong positive linear correlation between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention of ABM students from a university in Bacolod City. The findings supported the study of Ajzen (2005) that stated attitude is an antecedent to intention. On the other hand, this disproved the study of Anik (2014), who claimed that entrepreneurial intention is not totally influenced by entrepreneurial attitude and is only a partial mediation.
4. CONCLUSIONS
The findings showed that there was no significant difference in the level of entrepreneurial attitude and level of entrepreneurial intention among ABM students from the university residing in Bacolod City when grouped according to sex and grade level. It revealed that both sexes shared the same entrepreneurial attitude among the ABM students in terms of entrepreneurial skills/knowledge, creativity, flexibility, and determination. In terms of grade-level, creativity, flexibility, and determination are three factors of entrepreneurial attitude that have no significant difference among ABM students, though entrepreneurial skills/knowledge had resulted otherwise, justifying that having possessed pre-existing knowledge of entrepreneurship had a stronger effect on the students' entrepreneurial attitude.
Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the level of entrepreneurial attitude and the level of entrepreneurial intention of the ABM students.
Supported by research from Eliyana et al. (2020), students who possess entrepreneurial attitude have a strong commitment and determination to how the business operates, have ambition to seek opportunities and have courage to take risks, by being confident, optimistic, creative and flexible thus through these attitudes that have been formed, the students increase their motivation to reach the right entrepreneurial achievement. The entrepreneurial students possess high motivation due to their
efforts to achieve the desired standards so as to excel in the business industry.
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The researchers would like to express their overflowing gratitude to the following persons because without them, this research would not be possible. Special thanks to:
First, to the parents of the researchers for supporting the researchers emotionally, mentally, and financially. Also, for the unconditional love that motivated the researchers from the beginning up until the success of the research study; To research advisers, for the patience, support advice, comments, and suggestions that benefited much in the completion and success of the study and their never-ending support for the researchers. With their expertise, this research was successfully conducted and proved its purpose to share the insights and perceptions regarding the topic discussed in this study; To the researchers’ technical consultant, for her intellectual comments and recommendations; To the research validators, for validating the questionnaires prepared by the researchers for the study; To the respondents, for their excellent support, cooperation and time in terms of providing the researchers the information needed. Furthermore, last but not least to God Almighty for giving the researchers the strength, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and the passion for science which have been the guiding light of the researchers. Thank you for giving the right time and place for this study and for giving the researcher the ability to create things that can help other people.
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