Measuring Engineering Students’ Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy in an Entrepreneurship Education Program

Ying Wang; Joy Harris; Karthik Ramachandran

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Entrepreneurship and Inventive Thinking & Student Beliefs
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43570
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43570
Download Count: 251

Paper Authors

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Ying Wang Georgia Institute of Technology

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Ying Wang is a Postdoctoral Fellow in CREATE-X and the College of Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology since Fall 2021. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University and Master of Education at Temple University. Ying is an educational psychologist who conducts research on examining how students learn and the effective ways to support students’ learning and their academic and professional successes.

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Joy Harris

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Karthik Ramachandran Georgia Institute of Technology

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Abstract

In this research paper, we developed and examined an Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy for Engineering Students (ESE-E) instrument. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy refers to individuals’ perceived capabilities to perform entrepreneurial tasks and produce entrepreneurial-related outcomes. It is critical to develop and test the measurement of entrepreneurial self-efficacy with the engineering student population. Further, entrepreneurship education programs are increasing and play a crucial role in engineering education. In the present study, students enrolled in an entrepreneurship education course were from various engineering schools. Overall, the instrument development included four steps. First, our research team conducted an extensive literature review on entrepreneurial self-efficacy in engineering education. Second, we piloted the original entrepreneurial self-efficacy instrument to a small group of students in the entrepreneurship education course. Third, based on the results and feedback we received from the pilot study, we collaborated with the course instructor to modify and add items that aligned with the course content and prior research. Third, we administered the revised instrument to students enrolled in the entrepreneurship education program at the university. Through exploratory factor analysis, the ESE-E demonstrated a 7-factor solution. Factors included product ideation, business planning, customer discovery, team and network formation, idea pitch, people and human resources, and finance. Additionally, correlational analyses demonstrated that these seven factors were related to each other positively. This means that if students are confident about one entrepreneurial-related skill described in this instrument, they are likely to feel confident about other entrepreneurial-related skills described in the instrument. Further and interestingly, students with a growth creative mindset tended to have high self-efficacy for product ideation, team formation, and people and human resources. This means students who believe they can learn to be creative are likely confident about certain entrepreneurial skills. The present study contributed an appropriate instrument for measuring engineering students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy to the literature. Future directions and implications are discussed.

Citation
Format

Wang, Y., & Harris, J., & Ramachandran, K. (2023, June), Measuring Engineering Students’ Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy in an Entrepreneurship Education Program Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43570

TY - CPAPER
AB - In this research paper, we developed and examined an Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy for Engineering Students (ESE-E) instrument. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy refers to individuals’ perceived capabilities to perform entrepreneurial tasks and produce entrepreneurial-related outcomes. It is critical to develop and test the measurement of entrepreneurial self-efficacy with the engineering student population. Further, entrepreneurship education programs are increasing and play a crucial role in engineering education. In the present study, students enrolled in an entrepreneurship education course were from various engineering schools. Overall, the instrument development included four steps. First, our research team conducted an extensive literature review on entrepreneurial self-efficacy in engineering education. Second, we piloted the original entrepreneurial self-efficacy instrument to a small group of students in the entrepreneurship education course. Third, based on the results and feedback we received from the pilot study, we collaborated with the course instructor to modify and add items that aligned with the course content and prior research. Third, we administered the revised instrument to students enrolled in the entrepreneurship education program at the university. Through exploratory factor analysis, the ESE-E demonstrated a 7-factor solution. Factors included product ideation, business planning, customer discovery, team and network formation, idea pitch, people and human resources, and finance. Additionally, correlational analyses demonstrated that these seven factors were related to each other positively. This means that if students are confident about one entrepreneurial-related skill described in this instrument, they are likely to feel confident about other entrepreneurial-related skills described in the instrument. Further and interestingly, students with a growth creative mindset tended to have high self-efficacy for product ideation, team formation, and people and human resources. This means students who believe they can learn to be creative are likely confident about certain entrepreneurial skills. The present study contributed an appropriate instrument for measuring engineering students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy to the literature. Future directions and implications are discussed.
AU - Ying Wang
AU - Joy Harris
AU - Karthik Ramachandran
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Measuring Engineering Students’ Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy in an Entrepreneurship Education Program
UR - https://peer.asee.org/43570
DO - 10.18260/1-2--43570
ER -