The Influence Of Cognitive Attributes And Entrepreneurial Event Parameters On Architecture Students' Entrepreneurial Self-Employment Intention

Abstract

The 21st-century economy needs creative, imaginative, and enterprising architects as graduate unemployment rises progressively. The primary goal of integrating entrepreneurial education into Nigerian higher education institutions is to produce graduates who create jobs rather than seek them out; nevertheless, it is uncertain if this initiative has achieved its intended purpose in all fields of study at some universities. In this context, this study used the theory of planned behaviour and entrepreneurial orientation perspective of the service-based ideology to evaluate how architecture students' cognitive attributes (attitude, perceived behaviour control and subjective norms) and entrepreneurial event parameters (attitudes towards commercial awareness, perceived value creation, and societal factors) influenced their intention to pursue self-employment upon graduation following their participation in a course on entrepreneurship. Using information gathered from 239 architecture students at Ahmadu Bello University in the Department of Architecture, six hypotheses were formulated and tested with the data collected from the students. The research's findings showed that while subjective norms and societal factors have no apparent effect, attitude, perceived behaviour control, attitudes towards enterprise awareness and perceived value creation were strong predictors of architecture students' intention toward self-employment. Additionally, attitudes toward enterprise awareness are more positively significant and have a greater influence. The research's conclusions might have a footprint on educational policy, stakeholders in the architectural education field, and, notably, the transformation of generalist entrepreneurial education into a professional-based (specialist) education for enterprises.