Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Entrepreneurship Education Matters: Exploring Secondary Vocational School Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention in China

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Based on the theory of entrepreneurial human capital, this study employs questionnaires from 730 secondary vocational school students to explore the status quo of entrepreneurship education and the influence of entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial knowledge, and entrepreneurial competence on entrepreneurial intention. The study results prove the following. First, the participation rate of entrepreneurship education in secondary vocational schools is much higher than in their counterpart (academic schools), with more than half of secondary vocational students reporting having received entrepreneurship education of diverse types. Second, students evaluated themselves with relatively high entrepreneurial competence and intention, although they answered “unclear” to entrepreneurial knowledge and entrepreneurship education. Third, motivation and leadership, as well as enterprise knowledge, play mediating roles through which entrepreneurship education affects entrepreneurial intention, and represent two types of entrepreneurial human capital-entrepreneurial knowledge and entrepreneurial competence. The implications of effective educational implementation are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ana, A., Hurriyati, R., Rostika, Y., & Nazeri, M. (2016). Entrepreneurial intentions of tourism vocational high school students in Indonesia and Malaysia. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 8(2), 12–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arranz, N., Ubierna, F., Arroyabe, M., Perez, C., & de Arroyabe, J. C. F. (2017). The effect of curricular and extracurricular activities on university students’ entrepreneurial intention and competences. Studies in Higher Education, 42(11), 1979–2008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayodele, K. O. (2013). Demographics, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and locus of control as determinants of adolescents’ entrepreneurial intention in Ogun state, Nigeria. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 1(12), 59–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bae, T., Qian, S., Miao, C., & Fiet, J. (2014). The relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions: A meta-analytic review. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 38(2), 217–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R., & Kenny, D. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Béchard, J., & Grégoire, D. (2005). Entrepreneurship education research revisited: The case of higher education. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 4(1), 22–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergman, N., Rosenblatt, Z., Eraz, M., & De-Haan, U. (2011). Gender and the effects of an entrepreneurship training programme on entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial knowledge gain. International Journal Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 13(1), 38–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Congregado, E. (2008). Measuring entrepreneurship (1st ed.). New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, M. L., Yang, F., & Wang, Y. F. (2009). The effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy on the entrepreneurial intention. Foreign Economies and Management, 31(5), 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dohse, D., & Walter, S. G. (2012). Knowledge context and entrepreneurial intentions among students. Small Business Economics, 39(4), 877–895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du, J. J., & Wang, J. J. (2015). Empirical research on the effect of college entrepreneurship education to students entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Higher Education Management, 9(5), 113–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2009). Best procedure project: Entrepreneurship in vocational education and training. http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/10446/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/native.

  • Farani, A. Y., Karimi, S., & Motaghed, M. (2017). The role of entrepreneurial knowledge as a competence in shaping Iranian students’ career intentions to start a new digital business. European Journal of Training and Development, 41(1), 83–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrandiz, J., Fidel, P., & Conchado, A. (2018). Promoting entrepreneurial intention through a higher education program integrated in an entrepreneurship ecosystem. International Journal of Innovation Science, 10(1), 6–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, J., Raposo, M., Rodrigues, R. G., Dinis, A., & do Paço, A. (2012). A model of entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 19(3), 424–440.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gürol, Y., & Atsan, N. (2006). Entrepreneurial characteristics amongst university students. Education + Training, 48(1), 25–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Järvi, T. (2012). Teaching entrepreneurship in vocational education viewed from the regional and field perspectives. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 64(3), 365–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Junior Achievement USA. (2015). The States of Entrepreneurship Education in America. http://www.juniorachievement.org/documents/193855/1976054/States+of+Entrepreneurship+in+America.pdf/8b15bcdd-1b5f-4d14-8f35-2fd130f4572b.

  • Karimi, S., Biemans, H. J. A., Mahdei, K. N., Lans, T., Chizari, M., & Mulder, M. (2017). Testing the relationship between personality characteristics, contextual factors and entrepreneurial intentions in a developing country. International Journal of Psychology, 52(3), 227–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kautonen, T., van Gelderen, M., & Tornikoski, E. (2013). Predicting entrepreneurial behaviour: A test of the theory of planned behaviour. Applied Economics, 45(6), 697–707.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kent, C. (1990). Entrepreneurship education: Current developments, future directions. New York: Quorum Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liñán, F., & Chen, Y.-W. (2009). Development and cross-cultural application of a specific instrument to measure entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 33(3), 593–617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liñán, F., & Santos, F. (2007). Does social capital affect entrepreneurial intentions? International Advances in Economic Research, 13(4), 443–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Y. (2003). Study on the theory and practice of developing enterprise education in the secondary vocational school. Tianjing University Dissertation for Master Degree.

  • Lu, G. S., Pen, Z. X., & Kang, H. (2013). Entrepreneurial intentions of university students and influencing factors. Journal of Xi’an Jiaotong University (Social sciences), 33(4), 104–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, B., McNally, J., & Kay, M. (2013). Examining the formation of human capital in entrepreneurship: A meta-analysis of entrepreneurship education outcomes. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(2), 211–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2014). Vocational technical education framework. http://www.doe.mass.edu/cte/frameworks/strand5.pdf.

  • Mitchelmore, S., & Rowley, J. (2010). Entrepreneurial competencies: A literature review and development agenda. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, 16(2), 92–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moberg, K. (2014). Two approaches to entrepreneurship education: The different effects of education for and through entrepreneurship at the lower secondary level. The International Journal of Management Education, 12(3), 512–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opoku-Antwi, G. L., Amofah, K., Koffuor, K., & Yakubu, A. (2012). Entrepreneurial intention among senior high school students in the Sunyani municipality. International Review of Management and Marketing, 2(4), 210–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raab, G., Stedham, Y., & Neuner, M. (2005). Entrepreneurial potential: An exploratory study of business students in the U.S. and Germany. Journal of Business and Management, 11(2), 71–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rauch, A., & Frese, M. (2007). Let’s put the person back into entrepreneurship research: A meta-analysis on the relationship between business owners’ personality traits, business creation, and success. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 16(4), 353–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RezaeiZadeh, M., Hogan, M., O’Reilly, J., Cunningham, J., & Murphy, E. (2017). Core entrepreneurial competencies and their interdependencies: Insights from a study of Irish and Iranian entrepreneurs, university students and academics. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 13(1), 35–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roxas, B. (2014). Effects of entrepreneurial knowledge on entrepreneurial intentions: A longitudinal study of selected South-east Asian business students. Journal of Education and Work, 27(4), 432–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez, J. C. (2011). University training for entrepreneurial competencies: Its impact on intention of venture creation. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 7(2), 239–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shane, S. (2003). A general theory of entrepreneurship: The individual-opportunity nexus (1st ed.). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sigley, G. (2009). Suzhi, the body, and the fortunes of technoscientific reasoning in contemporary China. Positions: East Asia Cultures. Critique, 17(3), 537–566.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stadler, A., & Smith, A. (2017). Entrepreneurship in vocational education. Industry and Higher Education, 31(2), 81–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tshikovhi, N., & Shambare, R. (2015). Entrepreneurial knowledge, personal attitudes, and entrepreneurship intentions among South African Enactus students. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 13(1), 152–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Gelderen, M., Brand, M., van Praag, M., Bodewes, W., Poutsma, E., & van Gils, A. (2008). Explaining entrepreneurial intentions by means of the theory of planned behaviour. Career Development International, 13(6), 538–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Zhang, Y., & Yang, J. (2012). Study on the mechanism between entrepreneurial human capital and new venture performance based on competence perspective. Management Review, 24(04), 76–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiang, H., & Lei, J. S. (2014). A study on the impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intention of college students. Tsinghua Journal of Education, 35(2), 120–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, X. Z., Ni, H., & Ye, Y. H. (2016). Factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions of Chinese secondary school students: An empirical study. Asia Pacific Education Review, 17(4), 625–635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, J. (2006). An empirical study of the influence of personality traits, social capital and prior knowledge on entrepreneurial alertness. Douliu: National Yunlin University of Science and Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ye, Y. H. (2009). Research on the influencing factors of University students’ intention of entrepreneurship. Educational Research, 4, 73–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zampetakis, L. A., Gotsi, M., Andriopoulos, C., & Moustakis, V. (2011). Creativity and entrepreneurial intention in young people empirical insights from business school students. Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 12(3), 189–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The funding was provided by the National Educational Science Planning Project (Grant No. BIA170195), Zhejiang Province Philosophy and Social Science Key Project Synertic Research on Students’ Critical Thinking Promotion from Subjects of Psychology, Technology and Pedagogy (19XXJC03ZD) and also by the Study on Critical Thinking Cultivation Based on Brain Science-Psychology-AI (supported by Interdisciplinary Research Fund of Zhejiang University).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. China Academy of West Region Development, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Hao Ni

  2. College of Education, Zhejiang University, 148 Tian Mu Shan Road, Hangzhou, 310028, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Yinghua Ye

Authors
  1. Hao Ni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yinghua Ye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yinghua Ye.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ni, H., Ye, Y. Entrepreneurship Education Matters: Exploring Secondary Vocational School Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention in China. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 27, 409–418 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-018-0399-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-018-0399-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation