An Investigation of the Factors Influencing Entrepreneurial Intention of Senior Agricultural Students at Shiraz University

The increasing number of students graduating in agricultural majors and the limited employment opportunities supplied by the government suggest the importance of developing students’ entrepreneurship competencies and improving their entrepreneurial intentions. Therefore, it is necessary to identify factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The purpose of this survey was to determine the extent of entrepreneurial intention among senior agricultural students and to identify the main factors influencing their intentions. Research population comprised all senior agricultural students who were studying at Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. A sample of 196 students was selected through stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was developed to gather data. Face validity was verified by agricultural extension and education experts. Cronbach’s alphas ranged from 0.66 to 0.87 indicating good reliability. SPSSwin19 was employed to analyze the data. Results revealed that subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitude toward entrepreneurship strongly correlated with students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Regression results indicated that students’ attitude toward entrepreneurship could explain 40 percent of changes in their entrepreneurial intentions. In the end, suggestions and possible solutions were provided based on the research findings