Entrepreneurial Intention among Higher Education Students: Evidence from the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Abstract

This study examines entrepreneurial intention among students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia by applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour as its theoretical foundation. Specifically, it investigates the extent to which personal attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are associated with students’ entrepreneurial intention within a specific higher education institutional context. A quantitative survey design was employed, and data were collected from 103 undergraduate and postgraduate students using an online questionnaire adapted from the Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis and multiple regression analysis. The findings show that the regression model was statistically significant and explained 79.8% of the variance in entrepreneurial intention. Personal attitude and perceived behavioural control were positively and significantly associated with entrepreneurial intention, whereas subjective norms were not a significant direct predictor. Perceived behavioural control emerged as the strongest predictor, indicating that students’ confidence, capability and perceived control are central to the formation of entrepreneurial intention. The study contributes to entrepreneurial intention research by providing institution-specific evidence on the relative explanatory strength of TPB constructs in the UKM context, where intention appears to be shaped more by students’ personal evaluation and perceived entrepreneurial capability than by perceived social approval. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the use of convenience sampling, cross-sectional self-reported data and a modest sample size. The findings imply that entrepreneurship education should move beyond promoting entrepreneurship as a desirable career option and place greater emphasis on developing students’ practical entrepreneurial skills, confidence and perceived readiness for venture creation.