AUTHOR=Malebana Mmakgabo Justice , Mahlaole Simon Thabo 

TITLE=Prior entrepreneurship exposure and work experience as determinants of entrepreneurial intentions among South African university of technology students

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1176065

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1176065

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=This study used the theory of planned behaviour to investigate the effects of prior entrepreneurship exposure and work experience on entrepreneurial intentions among students at a South African university of technology. Data was gathered using an online survey questionnaire and convenience sampling. The online survey was completed by 301 entrepreneurial students from the Tshwane University of Technology, and the data were analysed using Smart-PLS 4. The findings of this study revealed that prior work experience has a positive and statistically significant relationship with subjective norms and an insignificant relationship with perceived behavioural control, attitude towards behaviour and entrepreneurial intentions. Prior entrepreneurship exposure had a negative but statistically significant relationship with entrepreneurial intentions, subjective norms, attitude towards behaviour and perceived behavioural control. The relationship between prior entrepreneurship exposure and entrepreneurial intentions was partially mediated by subjective norms, attitude towards behaviour and perceived behavioural control. The findings further revealed that perceived behavioural control, subjective norms and attitude towards behaviour had a positive and statistically significant relationship with entrepreneurial intentions. These findings contribute to the advancement of the theory of planned behaviour as a model for predicting entrepreneurial intentions in the South African context.