MORE AGREEMENT, LESS COMMITMENT: A RASCH-BASED EXPLORATION OF ATTITUDES TOWARD AGRI-ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Youth unemployment remains a significant issue in Ghana, despite agriculture’s potential for innovation, job creation, and economic growth. However, few youths view it as an attractive entrepreneurial path. Using a descriptive survey design, the study investigated university students' attitudes towards agri-entrepreneurship. The study comprised third and fourth-year agriculture students at the University of Cape Coast. The total population of third and fourth-year students was 352. The census method of data collection was used to ensure all students were included. Of the 352 questionnaires distributed, 210 were returned fully completed, yielding a response rate of 60%. Attitudes towards agri-entrepreneurship were analysed using the Partial Credit Rasch Model in Jamovi version 2.6.26. Overall, students held positive attitudes, valued agriculture, were willing to train, and sought information. However, items reflecting deep personal commitment were less endorsed, with threshold analysis revealing disordered upper categories, suggesting hesitation to strongly agree. Three latent trait groups emerged: low (basic awareness), moderate (practical understanding without strong commitment), and high (deep interest), suggesting complex interactions among attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, as per the theory of planned behaviour. The results highlight a gap between awareness and genuine motivation, highlighting the need for strategies to boost emotional engagement and providing valuable guidance for policymakers and higher education leaders in designing curricula and policies that encourage university graduates to pursue agri-entrepreneurship after graduation. The current study advances methodological practice by demonstrating the value of Item Response Theory in entrepreneurship research. It enriches the theoretical dialogue (Theory of Planned Behaviour) by demonstrating that the differences in students' latent traits or attitudes toward agri-entrepreneurship result from the interaction between attitude, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms in the Ghanaian context.