Impact of personality traits on entrepreneurial intentions in Pakistan : the moderating role of teaching methodology

An important aspect needed for promoting entrepreneurship is the identification of individuals possessing a specific personality suitable to foster entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurial intentions can be strengthened among the students of the right personality type by endowing them with the required skills and knowledge using experiential teaching methodology. Therefore, this study focused on investigating teaching methodology as the moderating variable in the relationship between personality traits and entrepreneurial intentions. This study utilised the dynamic view of Entrepreneurial Event Model. Data was collected using the stratified proportionate random sampling through a cross-sectional survey of 315 students of sixteen universities in Islamabad, Pakistan. The study used structural equation modelling to test the inter-relationship among the variables. Finding of this study reveals a significant and positive relationship between personality (entrepreneurial proactivity, entrepreneurial creativity, entrepreneurial opportunism and entrepreneurial vision) and entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, the study further tests the impact of teaching methodologies adopted by lecturers of entrepreneurship in the university. Finding also reveals that experiential teaching methodology has a moderating impact on the relationship between entrepreneurial creativity, entrepreneurial vision and entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, teaching methodology does not have a significant moderating influence on the relationship between entrepreneurial proactivity and entrepreneurial intentions, and entrepreneurial vision and entrepreneurial intentions. This study contributes to the literature by suggesting that appropriate experiential teaching methodologies strengthen entrepreneurial intentions. This study provides empirical evidence on personality, teaching methodology and entrepreneurial intentions within the domain of Entrepreneurial Event Model and Human Capital Theory, in the context of Pakistan. The results of this study have implications for students, entrepreneurship teachers, university management, incubation centre managers and policy makers. Finally, limitation of the study and future research directions are discussed.