Exploring Entrepreneurial Interests and Traits among Undergraduate Students

To date, the Malaysian government has implemented numerous strategies to encourage entrepreneurial activities among university graduates, aiming to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindset to establish competitive and viable businesses. However, the number of graduates embarking on entrepreneurship remains low, despite the implementation of various efforts as they considered it a waste of time. Given the growing unemployment rate in the nation due to the unpromising economic situation in the post-COVID-19 era, it is essential to foster entrepreneurial activities among the undergraduate students. In light of this, the purpose of this study was to assess students' knowledge and tolerance of entrepreneurship-related issues in relation to their own entrepreneurial interests and traits. Data was gathered from the self-administered questionnaires distributed to students enrolled in the Diploma in Plantation and Agrotechnology and Diploma in Business Administration programs. A total of 252 undergraduate students responded to the survey. The results indicated a significant positive relationship between self-assessed knowledge and the level of acceptance of entrepreneurship-related issues, which in turn influenced students' entrepreneurial interests and traits. The top entrepreneurial interests and traits possessed by the students were found to be open-mindedness, working well with others, self-motivation, and competitiveness. This information is expected to be useful for the university in developing entrepreneurship programs, with the ultimate aim of providing additional entrepreneurial education and promoting students to venture out and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Future research could explore any similarities or differences in entrepreneurial interests and traits among students in other programs which would provide valuable insights to the government and university.


Introduction
Globally, entrepreneurship is essential for fostering economic progress as it contributes to the growth of the gross domestic product, stimulates investment, and generates employment opportunities by introducing new ideas, technologies, and products to society.Since 2016, the Malaysian government has implemented numerous strategies to promote entrepreneurial activities.In total, 27 entrepreneurship programs have been launched by various ministries and agencies, including initiatives focused on growth, expansion, and business start-ups (SME Corporation Malaysia, 2016).Additionally, the Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education has taken the initiative to require all students at public universities to enroll in entrepreneurship courses.This recognition of the value of entrepreneurship education aims to foster entrepreneurship development and contribute to the economy.Furthermore, students are encouraged to participate in entrepreneurship-related training, seminars, short courses, conferences, and events organized by their respective colleges.These efforts align with the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, which aims to instill in graduates an entrepreneurial attitude and the motivation to create rather than solely seek employment (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2013).
Although entrepreneurship education in Malaysia is progressing in the right direction, there are still problems and obstacles that persist.Dr. Iskandar Abdullah, Director of Universiti Malaya (UM) Student Affairs Division Graduate Employability and Career Centre, mentioned that nearly half of the 2021 batch of UM students were initially not attracted to entrepreneurship courses as they believed they had already gained valuable knowledge and considered it a waste of time (Rajaendram & Menon, 2022).Consequently, the number of students pursuing entrepreneurship remains low, despite various efforts being implemented.Furthermore, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2022), the level of total early-stage entrepreneurial activity, which represents the percentage of adults aged 18 to 64 starting a new business, has shown a downward trend due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Additionally, the issue of employability affects multiple nations, fields of study, and industries (Osmani et al., 2017).Therefore, it is crucial to encourage entrepreneurial activities, considering the high unemployment rate in the nation due to the challenging economic situation in the post-COVID-19 era.Statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) revealed that in 2021, there were 197,400 unemployed graduates, which showed a slight decrease compared to 2020 when there were 202,400 unemployed graduates.However, this figure remains high compared to 2019, before the emergence of COVID-19, when there were only 165,200 unemployed graduates (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2022).
Since the economic development of a nation is often influenced, among other factors, by the entrepreneurial mindset, abilities, and skills of its people, entrepreneurship education becomes crucial.It has been found that education in entrepreneurship can enhance students' perception of behavioral control and attitude towards entrepreneurship, thereby increasing their inclination to become entrepreneurs (Hazirah et al., 2020).Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine students' knowledge and tolerance of entrepreneurship-related issues in relation to their own entrepreneurial interests and traits.This research is of great importance as it can provide valuable information to the government and universities regarding entrepreneurship development.The ultimate goal is to implement additional entrepreneurial education and encourage students to explore and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.This, in turn, can contribute to a decrease in the number of unemployed graduates and generate more business prospects, directly impacting the aspirations of Malaysians to become a developed country.

Literature Review
Entrepreneurship is widely recognized as a crucial driver of economic growth and development.Therefore, gaining insights into the factors that influence entrepreneurial interests and traits among undergraduate students is essential for fostering entrepreneurship education and supporting the creation of successful startups.In this literature review, we will explore various studies that have examined entrepreneurial interests and traits among undergraduate students.Entrepreneurial interest refers to the desire to start and operate one's own business.A study conducted by Fitzsimmons and Douglas (2011) revealed that undergraduate students with prior entrepreneurial experience or exposure to entrepreneurship courses are more likely to have a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship and express a greater interest in starting their own business.Additionally, students with higher levels of self-efficacy, such as a belief in their own ability to succeed, are more likely to exhibit interest in entrepreneurship (Bae et al., 2014).Another study by Heinonen and Poikkijoki (2006) delved into the factors that influence the entrepreneurial intentions of business students.They found that students who perceive entrepreneurship as highly desirable and feasible are more likely to have an intention to become entrepreneurs.Moreover, students with prior work experience or a family background in entrepreneurship also demonstrate a higher likelihood of expressing an intention to pursue entrepreneurship.Understanding these factors that shape entrepreneurial interests and traits among undergraduate students provides valuable insights for designing effective entrepreneurship education programs and initiatives.By targeting these factors, universities and policymakers can better encourage and support students in their entrepreneurial pursuits, ultimately fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and contributing to economic growth and development.
On the other hand, entrepreneurial traits encompass the personal characteristics that are associated with successful entrepreneurship.A study conducted by Zhao et al (2010) identified five key entrepreneurial traits: need for achievement, locus of control, risk-taking propensity, proactivity, and innovativeness.Undergraduate students who possess these traits are more likely to become successful entrepreneurs.Additionally, another study conducted by Liñán and Chen (2009) found that students with higher levels of emotional intelligence, which includes the ability to recognize and manage their own and others' emotions, are more likely to exhibit entrepreneurial traits such as proactivity, risk-taking propensity, and innovativeness.
The studies reviewed in this literature review underscore the significance of entrepreneurship education and experience in cultivating entrepreneurial interests and traits among undergraduate students.It is crucial for universities and colleges to offer entrepreneurship courses and programs that equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experiences to thrive as entrepreneurs.Supporting and encouraging students with family backgrounds in entrepreneurship and prior work experience can also prove effective in promoting entrepreneurial intentions.Moreover, possessing personal characteristics such as emotional intelligence, need for achievement, locus of control, risk-taking propensity, proactivity, and innovativeness can greatly contribute to students' success as entrepreneurs.
In conclusion, fostering entrepreneurship among undergraduate students plays a crucial role in driving economic growth and development.The literature reviewed in this study highlights several factors that can influence entrepreneurial interests and intentions among students.These factors include prior entrepreneurial experience or exposure to entrepreneurship courses, higher levels of self-efficacy, perception of desirability and feasibility of entrepreneurship, family background in entrepreneurship, and prior work experience.Moreover, possessing personal characteristics such as emotional intelligence, need for achievement, locus of control, risk-taking propensity, proactivity, and innovativeness contribute to students' potential success as entrepreneurs.In addition, it is imperative for universities and colleges to prioritize entrepreneurship education and provide students with opportunities to gain relevant experiences.By focusing on entrepreneurship education, institutions can help students develop the necessary skills, knowledge, and mindset to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape and succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Research Methodology
A 34-question survey was designed to assess the entrepreneurial interests and traits of undergraduate students from a higher learning institution in Malaysia.The survey was distributed electronically to students enrolled in the Diploma in Plantation and Agrotechnology and Diploma in Business Administration programs.These students had participated in an accounting seminar held on January 4, 2023.A total of 252 students responded to the survey.
The questionnaires comprised of two sections.Section A gathered respondents' demographic information, while Section B included a list of 13 personality traits associated with entrepreneurs.These traits included risk-taking ability, persuasiveness, persistence, decisiveness, innovativeness, creativeness, and competitiveness.Respondents were required to indicate the extent to which they identified with each of these characteristics.To gain a deeper understanding of students' perceptions of entrepreneurship, respondents were asked to express their agreement with a series of seven statements related to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education.A 5-point scale ranging from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree' was utilized.Additionally, respondents were asked to assess their strengths in skills related to entrepreneurial activities and indicate their likelihood of pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors.They were also prompted to reflect on the factors that influence their interest in entrepreneurship.
The DATAtab software was used to perform a Pearson correlation to test the following hypotheses: H1.There is an association between respondents' Self Assessed Knowledge and Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship H2.There is an association between respondents' Level of Agreement with Entrepreneurship and Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship

Demographic analysis
The respondents of this study consisted of students who participated in an accounting seminar and were pursuing diploma or bachelor's degree programs in agriculture or business administration.The questionnaires were distributed to 304 students, out of which 252 (82.89%) responded and were considered as the research samples.A summary of the demographic analysis is presented in Table 1.In terms of gender, the respondents comprised of 129 females (51.19%) and 123 males (48.81%).Among the survey respondents, 208 (82.54%) were agriculture students, while 44 (17.46%) were business students.The age range of the respondents was 17-19 years old (80, 31.75%),20-22 years old (170, 67.46%), and over 22 years old (2, 0.79%).Regarding the educational background of the students' parents, on average, half of them obtained a Diploma or 'Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia' (STPM) qualification (128, 50.79%).This was followed by secondary school education through 'Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia' (SPM) (75, 29.76%), bachelor's degree (33, 13.1%), master's degree and primary school (8, 3.17%) respectively.The majority of students hailed from sub-urban areas (103, 40.87%), followed by rural areas (75, 29.76%) and urban areas (74, 29.37%) as their hometowns.Students were also asked about their entrepreneurship or business background.The majority of students (145, 57.54%) claimed to have no business background.However, some disclosed that their families owned a business (69, 27.38%) or treated business as their hobby (27, 10.71%).Only a minority of students (11, 4.37%) reported currently operating a business while studying.This suggests that students have a solid grasp of the fundamental concepts in accounting and are well-prepared for their future careers.Furthermore, the score for the level of "knowledge on entrepreneurship and what it means to be an entrepreneur" is also moderate (M=3.32,SD=0.78), indicating that students possess familiarity with entrepreneurship and its associated concepts.However, students seem to have a relatively lower understanding of "trends and issues in agribusiness" as reflected by the score of (M=3.2,SD=0.83).Overall, the findings suggest that while students have a reasonable level of self-assessed knowledge in various areas, there may be room for further improvement, particularly in understanding trends and issues related to agribusiness.
A basic understanding of financial statement concepts is crucial for success in various fields, such as finance, marketing, and operations.Without a solid foundation in accounting, students may encounter difficulties in comprehending the financial ramifications of their decisions or effectively communicating with other stakeholders in their organizations.In addition, entrepreneurship education provides students with the necessary skills to identify opportunities, develop innovative solutions, and establish and grow successful enterprises.
Even though not all students will pursue entrepreneurship, the skills and mindset acquired through entrepreneurship education are applicable across different fields and industries.These skills can be valuable assets in any business or professional setting.The mean and standard deviation of respondents' agreement levels with statements related to entrepreneurship are presented in Table 3. Overall, the level of agreement among respondents was moderately low (M=3.60,SD=0.54).Most respondents agreed that the necessary technology already exists to address agricultural improvement (M=3.74,SD=0.71).This suggests a generally positive perception of the technological potential within the agricultural industry.Furthermore, respondents expressed a preference for working with peers who shared their major (M=3.71,SD=0.67) rather than starting their own business.This finding suggests that respondents may have a greater interest in collaborative work within their academic field rather than pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors.However, the majority of respondents (M=3.66,SD=0.72) acknowledged the importance and benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship for the expansion of the agribusiness sector.In summary, the study revealed that respondents generally displayed a moderately low level of agreement with statements related to entrepreneurship.Nonetheless, they recognized the significance of innovation and technology in the agribusiness sector and demonstrated a preference for collaborative work over starting their own businesses.The mean and standard deviation of respondents' scores on their personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship are presented in Table 4.According to the table, the trait with the highest mean score is "open-minded" (M=3.92,SD=0.76).Students who scored high in this trait are more likely to exhibit a willingness to take risks and explore innovative solutions in their entrepreneurial endeavors.The trait "works well with others" appears to be the second most important, with a score of (M=3.77,SD=0.70).This suggests that the majority of respondents possess the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with team members, which is valuable in entrepreneurial settings.The trait "self-motivated" received a mean score of (M=3.72,SD=0.78), indicating that respondents believe this trait drives them to take initiative and persist in achieving their goals.This trait is often associated with being a self-starter and effectively managing multiple tasks.On the other hand, the trait "innovative" received the lowest mean score of (M=3.48,SD=0.78).This suggests that respondents may perceive themselves as having a relatively lower inclination toward generating innovative ideas.Overall, the average rating for entrepreneurial interest or traits is moderate (M=3.64,SD=0.58), indicating that respondents possess a moderate level of interest in entrepreneurship and exhibit various entrepreneurial traits.

Relationship between respondents' Self Assessed Knowledge and Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship
Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between "personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship" and "self-assessed knowledge".The results revealed a significant correlation between these two variables, indicated by a Pearson's correlation coefficient of r(250)=0.45,p=0.001.
There is a moderate, positive correlation between the variables "personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship" and "self-assessed knowledge," with a correlation coefficient of r=0.45.This indicates that there is a moderate, positive relationship between "personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship" and "self-assessed knowledge" in this sample.The result suggests that individuals who have a greater inclination towards entrepreneurship and possess entrepreneurial traits are more likely to have higher self-assessed knowledge in this domain.

Table 5
Correlation results between "Personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship" and "selfassessed knowledge" r p (2-tailed) "Personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship" and "self-assessed knowledge" 0.45 <.001 The relationship between the variables "Self-assessed knowledge" and "Personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship" was examined using a linear regression analysis.The results of the regression model revealed that the variable "Self-assessed knowledge" accounted for 20.02% of the variance in the variable "Personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship." To determine the significance of this effect, an ANOVA was conducted.The analysis indicated that the effect was statistically significant, with an F-value of 62.58 and p-value < .001.The coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.2, indicating that 20.02% of the variability in "Personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship" can be explained by "Self-assessed knowledge."The p-value for the coefficient of "Self-assessed knowledge" is less than 0.001, indicating statistical significance.Therefore, the null hypothesis that the coefficient of "Self-assessed knowledge" is zero in the population is rejected.This suggests that there is evidence to support that the coefficient for the variable "Self-assessed knowledge" is different from zero in the population.

Relationship between respondents' respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship and Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship
A Pearson correlation was performed to examine the association between respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship and their Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship.The Pearson correlation revealed a statistically significant positive association between the two variables, with r(250) = 0.46, p < .001.This indicates that there is a strong and positive relationship between respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship and their Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship.
There is a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.46) between the variables "respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship" and "Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship".Thus, the results indicate a moderate positive association between respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship and their Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship within this sample.An ANOVA was performed to assess whether this value significantly deviated from zero.The results indicated that the effect was indeed significantly different from zero, with an F-value of 68.89 and a p-value of <.001.The coefficient of respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship yielded a p-value of <.001 as well.This p-value is lower than the predetermined significance level of 0.05, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis that the coefficient of respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship is zero in the population.Consequently, it can be assumed that the coefficient for the variable age in the population differs from zero.Based on the analysis conducted, it was found that the students' self-assessed knowledge, particularly their understanding of basic accounting and knowledge on entrepreneurship, were significant factors influencing their entrepreneurial interests.These areas received moderate scores, indicating that students had a reasonable grasp of the fundamental concepts.However, when examining the participants' level of agreement with entrepreneurship-related statements, it was observed that their agreement was only moderate.This suggests that they may not possess a strong inclination towards starting their own businesses, as indicated by the study.Instead, individual participants expressed a preference for employment rather than self-employment.
This study also identified a significant positive association between respondents' selfassessed knowledge and personal interest/traits towards entrepreneurship.These findings suggest that individuals who possess more entrepreneurial qualities and interests also tend to have higher levels of knowledge in this field.Additionally, the study revealed a medium positive association between respondents' level of agreement with entrepreneurship and personal interest/traits towards entrepreneurship.

Conclusion
In line with the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025, the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education has mandated entrepreneurship courses for all students in public universities as part of their efforts to foster entrepreneurship development and promote economic growth.Additionally, students are encouraged to actively engage in entrepreneurship-related training, seminars, short courses, conferences, and events organized by their respective colleges.These initiatives aim to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among graduates and encourage them to create opportunities instead of solely relying on job-seeking (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2013).Understanding the factors that influence undergraduate students' entrepreneurial interests and personality traits is crucial for promoting entrepreneurship education and facilitating the development of successful businesses.
Studies have consistently shown that students who have prior entrepreneurial experience or have taken entrepreneurship courses are more likely to have a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship and demonstrate a stronger interest in starting their own businesses.Moreover, students who express an ambition to become entrepreneurs often exhibit higher levels of self-efficacy, possess prior work experience, and come from a family background with entrepreneurial involvement.Entrepreneurial characteristics such as a strong need for achievement, a sense of control, a willingness to take risks, proactivity, and innovation have also been identified in the literature.The literature strongly emphasizes the significance of entrepreneurship education and experiential learning in fostering entrepreneurial interests and developing entrepreneurial characteristics among undergraduate students.Factors such as prior entrepreneurial experience or exposure to entrepreneurship courses, higher levels of self-efficacy, perceived desirability and feasibility of entrepreneurship, family background in entrepreneurship, and prior work experience have been identified as influential in shaping entrepreneurial interests and intentions among students.Furthermore, students who possess personal traits like emotional intelligence, a strong need for achievement, an internal locus of control, a propensity for risk-taking, proactivity, and a penchant for innovation are more likely to excel as entrepreneurs.
Despite various efforts implemented by different ministries and agencies since 2016, the number of students engaging in entrepreneurship remains low.The respondents in this study perceived basic accounting knowledge as the most important self-assessed knowledge, while they considered policies and laws related to businesses as the least important.Additionally, the majority of respondents agreed that entrepreneurship and innovation are crucial for the growth of the agribusiness sector and for improving agriculture by leveraging existing technology.They also expressed a preference for working with peers who shared their major, rather than starting their own businesses.In terms of entrepreneurial interests and traits, the top five attributes perceived as important by the students were open-mindedness, working well with others, self-motivation, tenacity/persistence, and competitiveness.The results indicate a medium, positive association between personal interest or traits toward entrepreneurship.These findings suggest that individuals who exhibit a greater number of entrepreneurial qualities and interests also tend to possess better knowledge in this domain.
It is important to note that our respondents only represent two major programs, namely business and agriculture.Therefore, future research could explore any similarities or differences in entrepreneurial interests and traits among students in other programs, providing valuable insights for further study.

Table 1
Demographic analysis of survey respondentsMean scores and standard deviation of respondents' self-assessed knowledge, respondents' level of agreement to entrepreneurship, and respondents' personal interest or traits towards entrepreneurship.

Table 2
displays the mean and standard deviation of respondents' self-assessed knowledge.The overall average score for respondents' self-assessed knowledge is moderate (M=3.28,SD=0.68).Among the self-assessed knowledge categories, "basic accounting knowledge" received the highest score, indicating a moderate level of understanding (M=3.38,SD=0.79).

Table 3
Mean and standard deviation of respondent's level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship.

Table 4
Mean and standard deviation of respondent's personal interest or traits towards entrepreneurship

Table 7
Summary of Linear Regression -ANOVA

Table 8
Correlation results between Respondents' level of agreement with the statement related to entrepreneurship and Personal Interest/Traits Towards Entrepreneurship

Table 10
Summary of Linear Regression -Anova