Abstract:
Economists’ prescription of structural transformation and social intervention models for
graduate employment are characterised by anecdotes and Westernised views at the neglect
of exploring entrepreneurial career choices and indigenous knowledges with multivariate
modelling in the Ghanaian setting. Hence, the concern-based adoption model, theory of
planned behaviour, and post-modernism theories support the current thesis statement that
graduate entrepreneurship career choice could be significant predictors of social-cognitive
and technology integration literacy in the knowledge-driven society. The concurrent mixed
method design was used with randomised 709 business students from seven Ghanaian
public universities. Factor analysed 107- questionnaire items showed an average Cronbach
alpha of 0.9 on seven latent variables. Rural Participatory Appraisal was used with 11
discussants. One-way MANCOVA and multiple discriminant analysis in IBM SPSS were
applied to four main hypotheses with thematic analysis of narratives in NVivo Version 10.
Multivariate and univariate assumptions (normality, homogeneity of variance-covariance
matrices, linearity, independence of predictors, multicollinearity, and outliers checks) with
several supplementary findings were explored. Statistically significant differences were
observed between graduates' entrepreneurship career choices and social-cognitive traits.
Practically, the MANCOVA model predicted 85.2% error variances in business students’
ability to develop career self-efficacy, goal-setting, locus of control, reasonable risk-taking,
and the need for achievement. Personal and institutional factors had a significant
relationship with students’ entrepreneurial decision-making. Students’ critical views on
their curriculum’s inability to link theory to indigenous knowledges also emerged. The
study concluded that cognitive-based strategies matched with technology integration are
superior models for predictor youth entrepreneurial career intentions in today’s knowledge
driven society. Implications for vocational guidance, parenting, curriculum design, and
strategic employee selection are discussed.
Description:
A Thesis in the Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of
Education, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, University of
Education, Winneba in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award
of the Doctor of Philosophy (Guidance and Counselling) Degree.
