AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE DETERMINANTS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION AMONG PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITY’ STUDENTS IN JORDAN

Abstract

This explorative research intends to contribute to the scientific debate by filling the gap that is due to the limited number of local studies that analyze empirically whether there are differences in the Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) among private and public universities’ students. The other goal is trying to understand the student’s factors of selecting entrepreneurship as their career after graduation by using a self-administered questionnaire to a total convenient sample of (406) students from private and public universities in Jordan. A number of statistical analyses techniques  were used including descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, independent samples (T) test and multiple regressions using SPSS version 25 and Smart PLS-3 to conduct structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings show that  there are statistically significant differences between respondents’ answers to the Entrepreneurial Intention, specifically the following independent variables (Entrepreneurial competencies, Entrepreneurial Education, Perceived Behavioral Control, Personal Intention, Self-Efficiency) in favor of private universities’ students. On the other hand, no significant differences between respondents’ answers to Government and Social Support. Results also indicate that Entrepreneurial Competencies, Perceived Behavioral Control, Personal intention and Self-efficiency have significant effect on EI for private universities’ students, whereas Entrepreneurial education, Perceived Behavioral Control and Government Support have significant statistical effect on EI for government universities’ students. This study suggests entrepreneurship in local and private universities need a strong community and social support, particularly from family members, relatives, and friends, as well as advice from all stakeholders, particularly the commercial sector, in order  university students to think and behave like entrepreneurs from the outset, so that they may start their own firm after graduation.