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Self-efficacy belief and entrepreneurial intention of Electrical/Electronics Technology Education students in south-eastern Nigerian universities: a moderated mediation analyses

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Abstract

This study explored the predictive impact of SEB on entrepreneurial intention, as well as the conditional mediating effects of perceived feasibility (PF) and attitude to entrepreneurship (ATE) based on the emotional intelligence (EI) levels of the students. A total of 82 EETE students in four selected universities in South-East Nigeria offering accredited EETE programmes were used for the study. There was no sampling due to the meagre size of the population. Data collected were analysed using Pearson product moment correlations, hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) and Process Model 8 moderated mediation analyses. It was found that perceived competence (β = 0.35, p < 0.01), perceived persistence (β = 0.33, p < 0.01) and perceived control (β = 0.26, p < 0.05) dimensions of SEB all had significant predictive impacts on entrepreneurial intention. The results equally revealed that at the mean and + 1 SD values of EI, perceived feasibility and attitude to entrepreneurship had significant mediating roles in the relation between SEB and entrepreneurial intention. The findings confirmed that EI does not significantly moderate the indirect effects of SEB through perceived feasibility (Index = 0.005, LLCI =  − 0.112, ULCI = 0.123) and attitude to entrepreneurship (Index = 0.036, LLCI =  − 0.071, ULCI = 0.144). This study is considered contributive to the existing knowledge on the influence of self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intention. The implications of the findings were discussed, and suggestions for further research were also outlined.

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Availability of data and materials

The data used for the research was obtained as responses to questionnaire items, which were coded and analysed using Microsoft Excel (2016) and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS. 21). Therefore, the research data is not available in public repositories, but is made available for the purpose of manuscript peer review in machine-readable formats.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

EETE:

Electrical/Electronics Technology Education

SEB:

Self-efficacy belief

SPSS:

Statistical Package for Social Sciences

EI:

Emotional intelligence

FFM:

Five-factor model

EIN:

Entrepreneurial intention

ATE:

Attitude to entrepreneurship

PF:

Perceived feasibility

EAS:

Emotional Assessment Scale

ASES:

Academic Self-Efficacy Scale

PD:

Perceived desirability

PCM:

Perceived competence

PP:

Perceived persistence

PCL:

Perceived control

HMR:

Hierarchical multiple regression

ULCI:

Upper limit of confidence interval

LLCI:

Lower limit of confidence interval

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the contributions of Prof. Ogbuanya Theresa in the course of the research project. Her suggestions and professional advice, particularly with respect to the choice of data analysis techniques, were of immense help to the authors. The efforts administrative staff of the universities used as the area of the study are also recognized. They assisted in providing an enabling environment for the research data collection process. The manuscript was majorly a product of the scholarly contributions of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Technical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

    Kenechukwu Joshua Nwibe & Jimoh Bakare

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  1. Kenechukwu Joshua Nwibe
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KJ contributed to the development of the research methodology, data analyses and deduction of findings. The literature review (introduction) and abstract were done by JB. Both authors contributed to the final draft of the research paper.

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Correspondence to Kenechukwu Joshua Nwibe.

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Nwibe, K.J., Bakare, J. Self-efficacy belief and entrepreneurial intention of Electrical/Electronics Technology Education students in south-eastern Nigerian universities: a moderated mediation analyses. J Glob Entrepr Res 12, 131–141 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40497-022-00318-0

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