To be or not to be an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurial tendencies and future orientation among male and female information-systems students

Purpose: This paper examines the mechanism through which entrepreneurial education affects entrepreneurial behaviors, and particularly the way it interplays with individual’s control beliefs (self-efficacy) and future orientation. Design/Methodology/Approach: We distributed an online questionnaire comprised of three parts in line with an extended version of the TPB model. 230 students of Industrial Engineering and Management in a state funded college and university. Data was analyzed with SPSS software. Findings: There are significant differences between male and female students in their future orientation, and perceptions of entrepreneurship feasibility. Practical implications: We advise educators to pay greater attention to the psychological barriers stopping women from fully realizing their entrepreneurial potential. Originality/Value: We expand on the theory of planned behavior to highlight the importance of domain-specific self-efficacy and future orientation in predicting male and female students' choices of a final project. Focusing on the choices and reasoning of young entrepreneurs allows for an in-depth understanding of the relationship between education and practice.