Assessing the Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions among Romanian Doctoral Students and Postdoctoral Researchers

Roxana Hatos, Smaranda Cioban, Gyarmati Bea, Anca Dodescu and Adrian Hatos
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Roxana Hatos: Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Oradea, 1 University Street, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Smaranda Cioban: Doctoral School of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oradea, 1 University Street, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Gyarmati Bea: Doctoral School of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oradea, 1 University Street, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Adrian Hatos: Doctoral School of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oradea, 1 University Street, 410087 Oradea, Romania

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-22

Abstract: In the context of the intensely debated topic of the impact of entrepreneurship education on students’ entrepreneurial intentions, the current paper presents findings of the entrepreneurial intentions of a group of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers from different fields of study enrolled in the SmartDoct project—an entrepreneurship education project co-financed through the European Social Fund and implemented by the University of Oradea, Romania, between 2019 and 2022. Our paper investigates individual-level determinants of the intention to become an entrepreneur, grounding in the social-cognitive, planned behaviour, and human capital theories. Using content analysis of semi-structured interviews, the paper offers insights into the narratives related to the entrepreneurial intentions of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, including relevant suggestions regarding the impact of gender, field of study, perceived influence of behavioural control, social norms concerning social support, and of the role models. Our results document the capacity of entrepreneurial programmes to encourage business initiation via stimulating entrepreneurial self-efficacy, the importance of perceived behavioural control on explaining entrepreneurial intention, and the value of social support and of role models, as well as the salience of the gender and field of study in explaining the net effect of entrepreneurial training in the case of students enrolled in advanced research programmes.

Keywords: entrepreneurial intention; entrepreneurship education; higher education; employability; SmartDoct project (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:14:p:8369-:d:858399

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