Analysis of the factors affecting entrepreneurial intention within the framework of the planned behavior theory: A research on distance learning students

The aim of the study is to reveal the factors which affect the entrepreneurial intention of the distance learning students and to compare the results of different geographical regions, departments, and KOSGEB support regions. The economic future of the countries has a close relationship with the qualification of entrepreneurs. Innovative entrepreneurs provide employment opportunity, wealth and tax with the added value they created. Developed countries try to expand the qualification of the current and future's entrepreneurs as well as attract entrepreneurs from all over the world. The Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire which was developed by using the Theory of Planned Behavior, a commonly referred theory in literature, was used in this study. The scale measures four central constructs of the planned behavior theory; entrepreneurial intention, attitude towards the behaviour, perceived behaviour control and subjective norms together with social values which are the valuation of the entrepreneurship in the closer and general environment. A survey, which includes the scale, was implemented to distance learning students of Anadolu University on a voluntary basis and 7111 acceptable questionnaires from different departments of the system and all seven geographical regions of Turkey were collected. The results show that the factors affecting entrepreneurial intention of the distance learning students are not affected by the region of residence, but results of business administration department 3rd and 4th-year students differ from the general participants.