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.

摘要 本研究的核心目标为评估学生对高等教育机构（Higher Education Institutions, HEIs）创业教育水平的认知，及其对学生创业动机与创业意向的影响。本研究同时旨在测算创业教育对学生创业意向的影响在多大程度上呈现直接或间接效应，并探究学生创业动机在该关联中的作用机制。本研究面向葡萄牙境内多所高等教育机构的966名学生开展调研，所用调研工具包括HEInnovate自我评估工具、基于国际创业联合研究者协会（Society for Associated Researchers on International Entrepreneurship, SARIE）编制的学生创业动机量表，以及改编版Carland创业指数。研究结果显示，创业型高校对学生创业意向的影响通过学生创业动机实现间接效应。本研究证实，鉴于创业教育对学生创业动机与创业意向存在显著积极的直接与间接效应，高等教育机构需重视创业教育的分析、培育与投入，以提升整体创业化水平。