Influence of Socio-Demographic Factors on Entrepreneurial Intentions Among Senior Secondary School Adolescents in Osogbo Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of environment and role model as social factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions in adolescent students. This study dwelt on the theory of planned behaviour which predicts intentions. The study adopted a survey research design. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of two hundred (200) adolescents from four senior secondary schools in Osogbo local government area of Osun State, Nigeria. A self-structured questionnaire titled Dominant Environment, Role Model and Entrepreneurial Intention (DERoMEi) with reliability index of 0.69 was adapted for the study. Data collected were analysed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical method. The result confirmed that: entrepreneurial intentions of adolescents is favourably and positively influenced by the adolescents’ dominant environment (f=7.696, p<0.05); role model had no impact on entrepreneurial intention of students (f=2.523, p>0.05); gender sensitivity played a role in the prediction of entrepreneurial intentions of adolescents as males tended to conceive entrepreneurial intention more than females (f=15.596, p<0.05). Recommendations given included that: entrepreneurship engagement should be promoted in communities to encourage wider acceptability by adolescents; parents and care givers who are entrepreneurs should encourage their children to acquire entrepreneurial skills alongside their senior secondary school education; more female adolescents should be encouraged to venture into entrepreneurship despite their educational engagement in senior secondary schools.