Abstract

How emotional competencies influence entrepreneurial behaviour especially among college students remains an under-researched subject in the entrepreneurship literature. In a unique perspective, this study examined the mediating roles of self-efficacy belief dimensions in the relationship between emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial intention of Electrical/Electronics Technology Education (EETE) students. The study was carried out among 192 EETE university students in 4 federal universities in South-East Nigeria. The hypothesized causal relationships based on literature were tested using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM). Andrew Hayes’ PROCESS plugin in SPSS was used to simultaneously estimate the mediating effects of the self-efficacy components (perceived competence, perceived control, and perceived persistence). Data analysis results revealed that emotional intelligence had a significant positive effect on entrepreneurial intention in isolation, while the direct effect of emotional intelligence in the structural (mediation) model was not significant. Out of the three dimensions of self-efficacy, perceived competence and perceived persistence had significant partial mediating effects. The implications of the findings and recommendations were discussed.

Introduction

Entrepreneurship is widely recognized in literature as a catalyst of economic growth and sustainable development (Mirjana et al., 2018). In Nigeria and some other developing nations, the recognition of the vitality of entrepreneurship as an instrument of economic development is demonstrated in the provision of incentives in the form of grants and loans to encourage venture creation, particularly among the youths.

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions are designed to equip the learners with the requisite skills and attitudes needed for economic self-reliance via entrepreneurship (Efuwape & Aremu, 2013; Ogbuanya & Chukwuedo, 2017; Ogbuanya et al., 2017). Thus, the Federal Government of Nigeria in her National Policy on Education described TVET programmes as a panacea for equity and economic development through the provision of skilled human resources required to boost the nation’s economy (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013). Electrical/Electronics Technology Education (EETE) programme in Nigerian universities is a subset of TVET aimed at producing skilled graduates to meet the technological needs of the country, thereby contributing to economic growth and sustainability. The programme modules are designed to equip the students with employable technical skills in electrical and electronics technology trades such as: electronic circuit designs, design and construction of innovative and usable electronic gadgets, electrical energy installation in private and medium scale commercial buildings, maintenance of electronic and electrical gadgets, etc. (Chukwuedo & Ohanu, 2022; Ohanu et al., 2022). The graduates of the programme are expected to be gainfully employed in related industries, or establish themselves as entrepreneurs based on the training received in school. However, previous studies have shown that many EETE graduates are not engaged as electrical/electronics technology entrepreneurs (Ohanu & Ogbuanya, 2018; Orji & Ogbuanya, 2020), indicating a negligible inclination to entrepreneurial venture creation on the part of the students. This anomaly has stimulated research on the possible factors associated with the entrepreneurial intention of the students (Nwibe & Bakare, 2022; Ohanu & Ogbuanya, 2018) as the programme’s mandate to produce entrepreneurial “spearheads” is being reduced to a mirage.

Conclusion

Electrical/Electronics Technology Education (EETE) as a strand of TVET programme is specifically aimed at preparing her graduates to contribute to economic growth of the society, especially via the ‘engine power’ of entrepreneurship. This study contributes immensely to the existing borders of knowledge on psychological factors and mechanisms associated with entrepreneurial behaviour of university students, particularly undergraduates. The study found that emotional intelligence had a significant impact on entrepreneurial intention of the students. Analysis of the mechanism of the impact of EI on entrepreneurial intention revealed that perceived competence and perceived control dimensions of self-efficacy belief were significant mediators. Therefore, developing the emotional quotient of the students will likely increase their propensity for entrepreneurship by enhancing self-apprehension of their competencies and control of the behaviour (entrepreneurship).