Introducing Sources of self-efficacy and Dysfunctional Career Beliefs in Socio-cognitive Career Theory in Entrepreneurship

Abstract

A missing link between entrepreneurship education and career choices is how and when alumni decide to behave entrepreneurially. This question pertains to the impact of entrepreneurship education as envisaged in various educational policies. The vast majority of relevant studies have examined the concepts of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention across courses and audiences worldwide. A recent trend adopts more systematic career development theories as the social cognitive career theory (SCCT). In this line, the present article provides new insights in SCCT models including the construct of dysfunctional career beliefs that represents an essential element in career decision-making. The article presents a small-scale quantitative research through a sample of Greek adults aimed to examine the relations between entrepreneurial intention and dysfunctional career beliefs as well as the informational sources of self-efficacy representing fundamental premises of SCCT. The pilot findings show that "significant others", a dimension of dysfunctional career beliefs, influence the entrepreneurial career decision process as an extraneous personal parameter. Linear multiple regression analysis demonstrated that positive emotions, mastery experiences and the perceptions regarding significant others' influence in career decision-making significantly predicted entrepreneurial intention. It is also shown that influence from significant others moderates the relationship between positive emotions and entrepreneurial intention, that is, intensifying the previous relationship when influence of significant others is low and decreasing it when this influence is high. These findings are discussed in the context of entrepreneurial career decision making with implications to educational and career counselling practices.