The Differential Effects of Personality Traits and Risk Aversion on Entrepreneurial Intention Following an Entrepreneurship Course

This paper addresses a research gap by examining how two groups of individuals with different personality traits (more entrepreneurial personalities versus less entrepreneurial personalities) react to changes in entrepreneurial intention after attending an entrepreneurship course. A key aspect of this study lies in its application of MEMORE; this tool was crucial in determining whether changes in entrepreneurial intention were driven by changes in the factors of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in each group of individuals. The survey employed a pre-test–post-test questionnaire design distributed before and after a university-level entrepreneurship course. The results indicated that individuals with more entrepreneurial personalities (characterized by high openness, conscientiousness, and extraversion and low neuroticism and risk aversion) had higher levels of entrepreneurial intention, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control compared to less entrepreneurial personalities. After the course, more entrepreneurial personalities reported higher entrepreneurial intentions and perceived behavioral control. MEMORE indicated that changes in perceived behavioral control affected the increase in entrepreneurial intentions. Less entrepreneurial personalities demonstrated a decline in entrepreneurial intention but a positive change in perceived behavioral control; this change did not affect the decline in entrepreneurial intentions. This study provides essential insights into an underexplored area, advancing knowledge in this field.