Entrepreneurship Education and its Influence on Higher Education Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions and Motivation in Portugal

ABSTRACT The present study has as main objective to evaluate the students’ perception of the entrepreneurial education level of higher education institutions (HEIs) and its impact on their entrepreneurial motivations to become an entrepreneur and their entrepreneurial intention. Finally, we intend to measure to what extent the effect of entrepreneurial education is direct or indirect in their entrepreneurial intention, evaluating the role of entrepreneurial motivation of students in this relationship. A sample of 966 students from different HEIs in Portugal was surveyed using the HEInnovate Self-Assessment, student entrepreneurial motivations scale (based on the Society for Associated Researchers on International Entrepreneurship - SARIE), and an adapted version of the Carland entrepreneurship index. Our results point indirect effects of the entrepreneurial universities on entrepreneurial intention by the entrepreneurial motivations of the students to become an entrepreneur. This study showed the importance of analyzing, fostering, and investing in entrepreneurial education in the HEIs to achieve a more entrepreneurial level, due to the interesting positive direct and indirect impact on the entrepreneurial motivations and entrepreneurial intention of the students.