Social Science Pre-Service Teachers’ Awareness of Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated social science pre-service teachers’ awareness of entrepreneurship opportunities in Nigeria. The study sought to investigate pre-service teachers’ awareness of, sources of awareness, skills possessed by the pre-service teachers to explore and factors inhibiting exploration of the entrepreneurship opportunities in Nigeria. Two hundred pre-service teachers were sampled using a simple random sampling technique method. The researcher-designed questionnaire was used as an instrument. content validity of the instrument was determined. Reliability coefficient of 0.78 through test-retest method. Data collected were analysed. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. The findings of this study revealed that the forms of entrepreneurship opportunities that pre-service teachers were aware of were building one career, the sources of pre-service teachers’ awareness of entrepreneurship opportunities include computer assisted learning materials, advertisement among others, it also indicated that the skills possessed by the pre-service teachers to explore the entrepreneurship opportunities identified were resource management skills. The finding also showed the factors inhibiting pre-service teacher’s exploration of the entrepreneurship opportunities which included lack of access to adequate resources to enable them start their own business and ineffective mandatory internship for trainee teachers. Based on the findings of this study it was recommended among others that university education should give adequate opportunities to students to explore entrepreneurial skills and experiences gained through technical and vocational education. The institutions should improve on partnerships with industries to meet the labour market demand. The institutional exhibition and exchange programmes and experiences should be promoted among tertiary institutions.