To start or not: Impact of engineering students' engagement in entrepreneurship competitive activities on their entrepreneurial intentions

Abstract

An increased number of technological innovation and entrepreneurial competitive activities have been organized in engineering schools and beyond to raise students' entrepreneurial awareness and cultivate relevant skills. In this study, a mixed method research based on Planned Behavior Theory is being used to explore the outcomes of innovation and entrepreneurial competitions, in particular the influence of engaging in these competitive activities on engineering students' entrepreneurial intention. This work-in-progress first reports the construction of a customized survey, in particular the process of identifying the specific activities in the context of innovation and entrepreneurship competitions that may be relevant when exploring students' entrepreneurial intention. Next, the report proposes hypotheses of possible pathways of how the constructs of PBT may have an impact on engineering students' entrepreneurial intention for later verification.