INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS ON BUSINESS EDUCATION UNDERGRADUATES’ ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION: MODERATING ROLE OF PARENTAL ENTREPRENEURIAL STATUS

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of psychological traits on Business Education undergraduates’ entrepreneurial intention and examined how parental entrepreneurial status moderates the influence on these psychological traits. The study used a descriptive survey research design and sampled 1,515 Business Education undergraduates from six public universities in Southwest Nigeria. The entire population was included in the sample due to its manageable size. The Psychological Traits Inventory Scale (PTIS) and Entrepreneurial Intention Scale (EIS) were used for data collection with a reliability coefficient of 0.97 for PTIS and 0.80 for EIS determined using Cronbach Alpha reliability technique. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and regression analysis. The study found significant differences in entrepreneurial intention and psychological traits between undergraduates with and without a business background. Also, psychological traits significantly contributed to the entrepreneurial intention of Business Education undergraduates (F=16906; p < 0.05) and there was a significant moderating influence of parental entrepreneurial status (p < 0.05) on the contribution of psychological traits. The study concluded that psychological traits contribute to the entrepreneurial intention of Business Education undergraduates and recommended that governments and university management collaborate to establish incubator programmes to nurture the psychological traits of undergraduates and enhance their intention towards business start-ups.