Insights into technopreneurship: self-employment perceptions among engineering students - B Urban

Infusing an enterprising spirit into student endeavours and the promotion of entrepreneurial skills has been implemented worldwide as an impetus to promote 'technopreneurship'. This study empirically investigates entrepreneurial perceptions among non-business engineering students before and after exposure to an entrepreneurship intervention. Initially theory on this relatively new phenomenon - technopreneurship, together with existing findings on intentions, education and perceptions, is presented. After identifying salient themes and variables a hypothesis is formulated to confirm or reject the basic predictions of the research question.
Based on a pretest-posttest quasi experimental design, survey data is quantitavely analysed, and findings generally indicate a significant increase in self-employment intentions. Recommendations are made in light of the empirical findings and integrated with existing conceptual findings to advance theoretical and practical developments in this relatively unexplored field.
From: SAJHE 21 (5) 2007