This research delves into the potential of integrating entrepreneurship education into secondary school curriculums within the Middle East region. While traditional theoretical approaches may pose challenges for some students, leading to disengagement and higher dropout rates, entrepreneurship education offers a promising alternative. This study specifically examines how students perceive entrepreneurship as a viable path towards achieving their future aspirations. Quantitative methodology is used, and the instrument is a self-report Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ) (Linan & Chen 2011) with a sample of 400 students. The confirmatory descriptive and factorial analysis of the collected data attempts to measure the data fit to the adopted theoretical model. Data analysis, reflected through bivariate results, reveals findings showing statistical significance in three out of four subfactors as follows: 1) Subjective Norm with seven variables: Gender (< 0.029), Grade (0.032), Age (< 0.029) and Nationality (0.001), Governorate (< 0.001), Mother’s Job (< 0.035), and Father’s Sector (0.043); 2) Perceived Behavioral Control with two variables: Age (0.014), Nationality (0.017); 3)Entrepreneurial Intention with one variable: Grade (0.025); Finally, 4) Personal Attitude with none of the variables. The results suggest a paradigm shift in teaching, moving towards an entrepreneurial approach as early as high school. This would empower students to explore diverse future options by developing critical problem-solving, collaboration, and risk-taking skills, often neglected in traditional curriculums.

Authors:
Rasha M. Khodor, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Isabel Alvarez, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Isabel Alvarez is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain

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