Teachers’ Entrepreneurship: Intentions and Actions

Abstract

This study examines teachers’ entrepreneurial characteristics, either in terms of actions and efforts they have already carried out, or in terms of intentions a nd opinions they have regarding undertaking business initiatives. The r esearch purpose is to examine whether certain stereotypical gender characteristics are connected with entrepreneurial intentions. A mixed method of data collection was applied to conduct the research. Specifically, 75 teach ers (in-ser - vice, pre-service and graduates of pedagogic departments) filled out a questionnaire containing a combination of items from the Entrepreneurial Inten tions Questionnaire, International Personality Item Pool, Human Values Scale, status-seeking, perceived masculinity and the Organizational Collectiv ism Scale. Furthermore, 8 teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Theory of Planned Behaviour was used as a broad guideline for the interview scheme, s uggesting that the intention to form a specific behaviour is influen ced by three main factors: subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and attitude towards the behaviour. The data analysis consists of descriptive statistics of the sample and the measured constructs and a calculation of the particip ant’s intentions to create a new firm, the t-test analysis, the correlation al anal ysis and a linear regression analysis. The results showed a strong interes t among teachers in entrepreneurship, with several of those surveyed having tried their hand at it. However, due to the country’s legal framework, government employment is still the only way of employment for most of them. Concluding it can be stated that status-seeking and risk-taking do have an influence on an individual’s decision to realize entrepreneurial intentions.