Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, need for achievement and entrepreneurial intention among commerce students in Pakistan

Purpose The present study undertook an empirical investigation of entrepreneurship education, self-efficacy, need for achievement and entrepreneurial intention among Pakistan's commerce students. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied quantitative methods based on cross-sectional data. The commerce students of the different public sector universities are targeted through a random sampling technique. The authors used a survey questionnaire to attain the responses from respondents. Finally, 184 usable cases are utilized to assume the hypothesized paths. Findings By applying the structural equation modeling (SEM), the findings of the study demonstrate a significant positive effect of constructs of entrepreneurship education (EE), that is, opportunity recognition (OR) and entrepreneurship knowledge acquisition (EKA) on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), entrepreneurial intention (EI) and need for achievement (NFA). Besides, ESE and NFA are found to be the robust predictors of EI. Practical implications The findings provide significant guidelines to policy-makers and university authorities for developing useful EE courses to uplift and boost students' skills to face today's considerable business and entrepreneurship challenges. The study also helps to generate eagerness among students in selecting entrepreneurship as a career option. Originality/value This study suggests the confirmation of EE's significant role in developing ESE, NFA and EI among commerce students.