Promoting self-efficacy and self- accountability through entrepreneurship education: A corruption mitigation strategy

This study aims to contribute valuable insights into the interconnectivity of public finance management, Entrepreneurship Education Expenditure Effectiveness (EEEE), entrepreneurship self-efficacy (ESE), and entrepreneurship self-accountability (ESA). It does so by enhancing learners' evaluation of their entrepreneurship education to realize entrepreneurial ventures and reduce corruption. The study utilizes a survey research design, using a carefully constructed questionnaire. The questionnaire passed content validity test incorporating the review comments from post-graduate lecturers in the education management and guidance and counselling departments and professionals in entrepreneurship practice. It mirrors the tripartite learning framework of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective strategies, including insinuating self-efficacy and self-accountability learning outcomes. It covers the self-accountability constructs as an innovation to promote compliance and integrity attitudes in the learners as future leaders of a country yearning for accountability. The sample is 143 students in entrepreneurship education randomly selected from a population of 295 graduating entrepreneurship learners from three public higher learning institutions in Nigeria. The questionnaire responses report a Cronbach’s alpha .86, and Lambda 1,2,3,4,5 score of .85, .87,.86,.72, and .86, respectively. Under the strict parallel assumptions, it is .82 unbiased. The reliability record is considered unswerving for this study. The research questions are answered using descriptive statistics. The hypotheses are tested using inferential statistics in the form of Pearson correlation coefficient r, and Linear regression statistical analysis r. Findings reveal noteworthy outcomes at a significant level concerning EEEE, ESE, and ESA interrelationships and effects. This study identifies a substantial influence of the entrepreneurial education program on entrepreneurial self-efficacy, specifically, the ability to use initiative, be creative, solve problems, and handle challenges successfully. Additionally, it observes an increased understanding of the requisite actions for initiating an enterprise regarding the effect of EEEE on ESA, particularly for money management, integrity, handling constructive criticisms and feedback. Therefore, this study argues that the learning outcome from a politicized curriculum will continue to worsen EEE and corruption unless EE pedagogies include ESA alongside ESE to arouse a subconscious, innermost willingness to truly and ruggedly embrace entrepreneurship, integrity practice, and live it. The conclusions of this study are significant, as they underscore the potential for entrepreneurship education to shape future leaders and combat corruption, and advocate for the inclusion of self-accountability in entrepreneurship education.