Entrepreneurial Disposition in Brazilian University Students

Abstract

Higher education is universally recognized as a key pillar in the construction of new knowledge economies. The Brazilian university, in general, does not explore its potential to inspire and stimulate students' ambition and innovation. Is there any neglect in the willingness of young university entrepreneurs to promote economic development and consolidate knowledge transfer? This study aims to analyze how the entrepreneurial intention of Brazilian university students behaves. The field of investigation is the Junior Companies of the country, whose use of the Modeling of Structural Equations represents the method of investigation. The study met the statistical criteria for its validation, in addition to presenting a moderate adjustment index explaining 64.9% of the entrepreneurial intention with only one rejected hypothesis. The findings of this research suggest gaps in the performance of government and universities in promoting entrepreneurial education and have implications for entrepreneurship scholars, universities, and policy makers.