Abstract
Entrepreneurialism is an increasing trend in career choices. While confidence in certain skills can help combat the complexity of these new roles, gender identity and major may also influence self-beliefs and career plans. This study utilizes survey data from the 2019 and 2020 administrations of the National Survey of Student Engagement, with a sample of 74,572 seniors at 264 higher education institutions. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between student and institutional characteristics (with particular focus on gender and major) and confidence in creative thinking and entrepreneurial skills. Binary logistic regression models were used to determine the predictive power of the student identities and institutional characteristics, along with creative and entrepreneurial confidence, for future plans for self-employment and starting a business. Results from the OLS regression models suggest that even after controlling for demographic and institutional characteristics, gender identity and major predict confidence in creative and entrepreneurial skills. Furthermore, the logistic regression models suggest that gender identity, major, and skills confidence are also predictors of plans for self-employment and starting a business. The findings demonstrate the need to address certain gaps through educational interventions, including increasing confidence for women and among arts and humanities majors.
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Data availability
The NSSE data set is proprietary and not currently available for free public use. Syntax for all analyses included in this paper are available from the authors upon request. However, data are only available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of Indiana University General Counsel and Center for Postsecondary Research.
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Miller, A.L., Alvarez Huerta, P. Exploring the role of gender identity and academic major in skill confidence and entrepreneurial career plans. Entrep Educ 6, 295–317 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41959-023-00101-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41959-023-00101-6