First-year university students entrepreneurial competence: Exploring the relationship between grit, creative self-efficacy and entrepreneurial self-efficacy

Abstract

Grit, creative self-efficacy and entrepreneurial self-efficacy have been associated with the development of entrepreneurial behaviours that can prepare students for a rapidly changing world of work. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between the three variables amongst first-year university students. A positive relationship, albeit modest, was found between grit and the two measures of self-efficacy. Furthermore, findings suggest that grit can be considered a predictor variable for student self-efficacy beliefs in the context of entrepreneurship. However, this relationship was found to be weak and not to offer significant opportunities for the improvement of student creative and entrepreneurial self-perception, beyond those already contemplated in social cognitive theory. Moreover, results revealed a significant and robust positive relationship between creative and entrepreneurial self-perceptions in university students. The strong relationship found between creative and entrepreneurial self-efficacy renders an opportunity to develop informed interventions directed towards improving student entrepreneurial self-perceptions. In this regard, the results suggest the importance of cultivating creativity in educational institutions.