Antecedent Factors Influencing Adult Learners’ Entrepreneurial Intention at Institute of Adult Education in Tanzania

Abstract

This study examines the antecedent factors influencing adult learners’ entrepreneurial intention (EI) at the Institute of Adult Education in Tanzania. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), it examines the effects of personal attitude (PA), subjective norms (SNs), and perceived behavioural control (PBC) on EI. Adopting a quantitative research approach grounded in the post-positivist paradigm, data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 245 respondents selected via convenience sampling from a population of 1,726 adult learners enrolled in entrepreneurship modules. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS 20.0 was applied to test the hypothesised relationships. The findings revealed that personal attitude had a direct, positive, and statistically significant effect on EI (β = 0.368, CR = 3.212, p < 0.05). Conversely, subjective norms (β = 0.124, CR = 4.021, p = 0.201) and perceived behavioural control (β = –0.342, CR = 3.321,p > 0.05) exhibited no significant influence on EI. These results suggest that strengthening entrepreneurial intention among adult learners requires addressing positive attitude towards entrepreneurship among students through experimental learning and showcasing entrepreneurial success stories, initiatives for promoting entrepreneurial attitude development, practical incubation facilities as well as prevailing values and beliefs that shape personal attitudes towards entrepreneurship.
The study offers valuable implications for curriculum development and policymakers, highlighting the need for an attitude-focused approach that integrates practical and technical elements to strengthen entrepreneurial mindsets and innovation capacity among adult learners in Tanzania.