An Analysis of the Factors Affecting Students' Interest in Entrepreneurship as Perceived by Graduates of Agricultural Scientific-Applied Higher Education Centers of Iran

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Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to find out the factors affecting Entrepreneurship strengthening tendencies in student of Iran’s Agricultural Scientific-Applied Higher Education Centers. The research is an applied type in which Descriptive method has been employed. The tool for data collection was questionnaire the Reliability of which was 85%. Population of the research consisted of 1954 graduates of Iranian Agricultural Scientific-Applied Higher Education Centers in 2004, 340 of whom were selected as a sample through stratified sampling. The data were analyzed in two descriptive and inferential parts through SPSS software. Mean age of these graduates participants is 26 years. 58.2% are among the free quota while the remainders are government employees. 24.3% of the free quota graduates and 41.4% of the employee quota graduated with B.S. Degrees and the rest graduated in an Associate Degree namely a pre-B.Sc. degree. The results also show that only 15% of the total graduates are in private business and are self-employed, as compared with 62.9% who are employees. According to the results obtained from factor analysis, factors affecting the graduates' interest in entrepreneurship can be divided into 7 factors of: educational methods, educational contents, equipment & facilities, individual factors, trainers' skills, students' features, and environmental factors. Step by step regression shows that of the above-mentioned factors, environmental one has not entered the equation and the other 6 factors could specify 62.1% of changes of the dependent variable of the research, whereas according to regression analysis, trainers' skills constituted the most important factor affecting graduates' interest in entrepreneurship.

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