Exploratory Factor Analysis of Students’ Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy: Implications for Survey Validation

Aturika Bhatnagar; Prateek Shekhar; Jeffrey Stransky

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 27
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Page Count: 11
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47394

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Aturika Bhatnagar New Jersey Institute of Technology

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Aturika Bhatnagar is currently pursuing her doctoral studies in Industrial Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Communication, as well as a Master of Engineering degree in Industrial Engineering and Management. Her research is in the area of engineering education and focuses on the development of instruments and advancements in entrepreneurial education.

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Prateek Shekhar New Jersey Institute of Technology orcid.org/0000-0001-6552-2887

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Prateek Shekhar is an Assistant Professor – Engineering Education in the School of Applied Engineering and Technology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas - Austin, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a BS in Electronics and Communication Engineering from India. Dr. Shekhar also holds a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. Prior to his current appointment, he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan. He is the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Postdoctoral Researcher Award at the University of Michigan; and serves as a PI/Co-PI on multiple projects funded by the National Science Foundation. He currently serves in editorial capacity for the Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, and Journal of International Engineering Education.

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Jeffrey Stransky New Jersey Institute of Technology orcid.org/0000-0002-4247-4322

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Dr. Stransky is a post-doctoral research associate in the School of Applied Engineering and Technology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He obtained his PhD in Engineering Education and MS in Mechanical Engineering from ¬¬Rowan university. Dr. Stransky seeks to understand the engineering ideologies that promote potential disparities between engineers' practices and their micro- and macroethics. Dr. Stransky is passionate about developing innovative educational interventions that measurably enhance students’ skills and competencies.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4247-4322

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Abstract

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) is a concept rooted in self-efficacy theory and is particularly relevant in the field of entrepreneurship education. Described as an individual’s confidence in performing entrepreneurship-related tasks, ESE, plays a crucial role in assessment of student outcomes in entrepreneurship education programs. Particularly, ESE aids in assessing students’ confidence to initiate and successfully execute tasks that they are exposed to in their programs. Additionally, since ESE arises from the intricate interaction between an individual and their environment, assessment of ESE provides insights on the cognitive, motivational, and emotional factors that influence a person's choice to engage in entrepreneurial endeavors. As entrepreneurship education continues to grow in engineering education, it is important to use valid and reliable measures for rigorous program assessment, evaluation, and research. Due to its emergence in business fields, majority of the instruments have been developed and validated among business students and business personnel. This paper presents early-stage results validating ESE scale among student populations enrolled in engineering entrepreneurship programs.

The data was collected in two phases from students enrolled in an entrepreneurship course offered through the College of Engineering at a large research institution. The study participants were asked to respond on a survey before and after taking the course. A total of 252 and 230 students completed the survey in the first and second phase respectively. The participants responded to McGee’s Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy scale which contains 19 questions, on 5-point Likert-type scale (no confidence at all, little confident, somewhat confident, confident, and very confident). These 19 questions measure five overarching factors pertinent to different entrepreneurship tasks - searching, planning, marshaling, implementing people and implementing finance.

To validate the ESE scale, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed using principal axis factoring method for factor extraction on both phase 1 and 2 data. Oblimin rotation with Kaiser normalization was used for factor rotation. Factors were initially identified based on an examination of the scree plot and were further confirmed through Minimum Average Partial analysis and Kaiser Criterion. Phase 1 EFA resulted in the identification of three distinct factors. Notably, the factor analysis conducted in Phase 2 yielded dissimilar results when compared to Phase 1, revealing the emergence of four distinct factors. We discuss these findings in regard with methodological implications for survey validation, and emerging subfield of entrepreneurship education in engineering education research.

Citation
Format

Bhatnagar, A., & Shekhar, P., & Stransky, J. (2024, June), Exploratory Factor Analysis of Students’ Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy: Implications for Survey Validation Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47394

TY - CPAPER
AB - Entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) is a concept rooted in self-efficacy theory and is particularly relevant in the field of entrepreneurship education. Described as an individual’s confidence in performing entrepreneurship-related tasks, ESE, plays a crucial role in assessment of student outcomes in entrepreneurship education programs. Particularly, ESE aids in assessing students’ confidence to initiate and successfully execute tasks that they are exposed to in their programs. Additionally, since ESE arises from the intricate interaction between an individual and their environment, assessment of ESE provides insights on the cognitive, motivational, and emotional factors that influence a person&#39;s choice to engage in entrepreneurial endeavors. As entrepreneurship education continues to grow in engineering education, it is important to use valid and reliable measures for rigorous program assessment, evaluation, and research. Due to its emergence in business fields, majority of the instruments have been developed and validated among business students and business personnel. This paper presents early-stage results validating ESE scale among student populations enrolled in engineering entrepreneurship programs.

The data was collected in two phases from students enrolled in an entrepreneurship course offered through the College of Engineering at a large research institution. The study participants were asked to respond on a survey before and after taking the course. A total of 252 and 230 students completed the survey in the first and second phase respectively. The participants responded to McGee’s Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy scale which contains 19 questions, on 5-point Likert-type scale (no confidence at all, little confident, somewhat confident, confident, and very confident). These 19 questions measure five overarching factors pertinent to different entrepreneurship tasks - searching, planning, marshaling, implementing people and implementing finance.

To validate the ESE scale, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed using principal axis factoring method for factor extraction on both phase 1 and 2 data. Oblimin rotation with Kaiser normalization was used for factor rotation. Factors were initially identified based on an examination of the scree plot and were further confirmed through Minimum Average Partial analysis and Kaiser Criterion. Phase 1 EFA resulted in the identification of three distinct factors. Notably, the factor analysis conducted in Phase 2 yielded dissimilar results when compared to Phase 1, revealing the emergence of four distinct factors. We discuss these findings in regard with methodological implications for survey validation, and emerging subfield of entrepreneurship education in engineering education research.
AU - Aturika Bhatnagar
AU - Prateek Shekhar
AU - Jeffrey Stransky
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Exploratory Factor Analysis of Students’ Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy: Implications for Survey Validation
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47394
ER -