Article 2025

Motivators and barriers to the entrepreneurial intentions of university students: are there any differences between business and non-business students?

Education and Training
Journal · Vol. 67 · Issue 9 · pp. 877-894
Abstract

Purpose – This study investigates the motivators and barriers affecting the entrepreneurial intentions of university students within a new conceptual framework and how these variables differ between students of business administration and those other specializations. Design/methodology/approach – This quantitative study is based on a questionnaire administered to students in four different universities in Turkiye; factor analysis and statistical regression techniques were applied to analyze the data. Findings – The factors influencing university students’ entrepreneurial intentions vary and have significant effects across business and non-business university departments. Originality/value – As there is limited research on this topic in developing countries, particularly in Turkiye, this study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the entrepreneurship dynamics in these contexts. Furthermore, we demonstrate that government measures should be integrated into educational systems to promote entrepreneurial pathways for students and reduce graduate unemployment. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Keywords

Author Keywords

higher education institutions Entrepreneurial intention Entrepreneurial barriers Entrepreneurial motivation

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Business Administration, World Peace University, Famagusta, Turkey
World Peace University, Famagusta, Turkey
Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Uluslararası Kıbrıs Üniversitesi, Nicosia, Cyprus
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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