The impact of applied entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial tendency: A research on engineer candidates

Entrepreneurship is the lifeblood of the economy with the commercialization and implementation of creative ideas. Applied entrepreneurship education which is carried out for the dissemination of entrepreneurship has gained momentum with the efforts of KOSGEB −Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization− to organize the education and transfer them to the participants. In this process, universities have aimed to gain entrepreneurship perspective with applied entrepreneurship education conducted for individuals who continue their university education. In this sense, the education programs which will be carried out to develop the entrepreneurial skills of engineer candidates who have high product development potential have become more important. The aim of this study is to determine whether applied entrepreneurship education creates a significant difference in the entrepreneurial tendency of engineer candidates. The theoretical justification of the research is based on Fishbein and Ajzen's planned behavior theory. Data of the study have been collected using entrepreneurship scale. The sample is 81 engineer candidates from two engineering departments (bioengineering and mechanical engineering) in Kars, Turkey between February (pre-test) and July (post-test) 2016. The proposed hypotheses have been tested through paired-sample t-tests by using a quantitative survey method. Findings reveal that the post-course entrepreneurial tendency is significantly higher than the pre-course entrepreneurial tendency. Additionally, the candidates in normal education programs have significantly higher entrepreneurial abilities than those in the secondary education program. Based on the findings of the research, it is recommended that the applied entrepreneurship education programs, which are planned to be made in the future, should be carried out especially in the daytime. The results of the research are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications. Additionally, results have implications for entrepreneurship education scholars, program evaluators, and policymakers.