The Relationship Between Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Meta-Analytic Review

• Published in: Entrepreneurship theory and practice Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 217 - 254
• Main Authors: Bae, Tae Jun, Qian, Shanshan, Miao, Chao, Fiet, James O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2014; SAGE Publications; Sage Publications, Inc; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Business; Business education; Businesspeople; Comparative analysis; Correlation; Corruption; Cultural values; Education; Educational enrolment; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship education; Practice; Social values; Students; Study and teaching; United States
• ISSN: 1042-2587; 1540-6520
• DOI: 10.1111/etap.12095

The research on entrepreneurship education–entrepreneurial intentions has yielded mixed results. We meta–analyzed 73 studies with a total sample size of 37,285 individuals and found a significant but a small correlation between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions (ρ^). This correlation is also greater than that of business education and entrepreneurial intentions. However, after controlling for pre–education entrepreneurial intentions, the relationship between entrepreneurship education and post–education entrepreneurial intentions was not significant. We also analyzed moderators, such as the attributes of entrepreneurship education, students’ differences, and cultural values. Our results have implications for entrepreneurship education scholars, program evaluators, and policy makers.