Project – Impact of Economic Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions of Senior Secondary School Students in Mushin, Lagos State

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Entrepreneurship has increasingly been recognized as a critical driver of economic growth, employment generation, innovation, and poverty reduction across both developed and developing economies. In countries with high youth unemployment rates such as Mushin and other parts of Lagos State, entrepreneurship is often promoted as a viable pathway for economic empowerment and sustainable development. Nigeria, with its rapidly growing youth population, faces significant employment challenges, particularly among secondary school graduates who may not immediately secure admission into tertiary institutions or formal employment. This reality has heightened the importance of equipping students with entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, and mindset at the secondary school level.

Economic education, as a subject offered in senior secondary schools in Nigeria, provides students with foundational knowledge about resource allocation, production, consumption, markets, savings, investment, and business operations. Beyond theoretical understanding, economic education has the potential to shape students’ attitudes toward self-employment and enterprise creation. By exposing learners to concepts such as opportunity cost, demand and supply, profit maximization, risk management, and market competition, economic education can influence how students perceive business opportunities and their ability to exploit them.

Entrepreneurial intention refers to an individual’s conscious state of mind that directs attention, experience, and action toward self-employment or new venture creation. According to Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, intention is the most immediate predictor of behavior, and it is influenced by attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. When students develop positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship and believe they possess the required knowledge and skills, their likelihood of intending to start a business increases. Economic education can therefore serve as a catalyst in shaping entrepreneurial intentions by strengthening cognitive understanding and self-efficacy.

Globally, governments have integrated entrepreneurship-related subjects into school curricula to foster early exposure to business thinking. In Nigeria, the National Policy on Education emphasizes the development of practical skills and self-reliance among learners. At the senior secondary level, subjects such as Economics, Commerce, and Financial Accounting are expected to provide foundational economic literacy that can stimulate entrepreneurial aspirations. However, the extent to which economic education effectively influences entrepreneurial intentions among students in densely populated urban communities such as Mushin remains underexplored.

Mushin is one of the most commercially vibrant and densely populated areas in Lagos State. The area is characterized by numerous small and medium-scale enterprises, informal businesses, markets, and artisanship. Students in this environment are frequently exposed to business activities within their immediate surroundings. Such exposure, when complemented with structured economic education in schools, may significantly shape their entrepreneurial mindset. However, despite this exposure, many students still prioritize white-collar employment over self-employment, raising concerns about whether economic education is adequately stimulating entrepreneurial intentions.

Moreover, Nigeria’s persistent youth unemployment problem underscores the urgency of strengthening entrepreneurial orientation at the secondary school level. Many graduates lack practical business skills, creativity, and risk-taking abilities required to initiate ventures. If economic education is properly structured and effectively delivered, it can enhance students’ understanding of economic opportunities within their communities and build confidence in starting small-scale enterprises. Therefore, examining the impact of economic education on entrepreneurial intentions among senior secondary school students in Mushin is both timely and relevant.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Youth unemployment remains one of the most pressing socio-economic challenges in Nigeria. Despite various government initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and skill acquisition, a large proportion of young people continue to depend heavily on scarce paid employment opportunities. This dependence often results in frustration, underemployment, and increased social problems. Secondary school students represent a crucial segment of the youth population, and their career orientations are significantly shaped during this stage.

Although economic education is included in the senior secondary school curriculum, there is growing concern that it may be overly theoretical and examination-oriented, with limited emphasis on practical entrepreneurial application. Students may learn economic principles without adequately understanding how to translate such knowledge into real-life business creation. As a result, the subject may not significantly influence their intention to become entrepreneurs.

In an economically active environment like Mushin, where numerous informal and small-scale businesses operate daily, students have ample opportunity to observe entrepreneurship in practice. However, mere exposure to business activities does not automatically translate into entrepreneurial intention. If economic education does not effectively bridge classroom theory with practical business realities, students may continue to perceive entrepreneurship as risky, complex, or unattainable.

Furthermore, many studies on entrepreneurship education in Nigeria focus primarily on tertiary institutions, with limited empirical attention given to senior secondary school students. Yet, entrepreneurial intention is often formed before students complete secondary education. The lack of empirical evidence on how economic education influences entrepreneurial intentions at this level creates a research gap.

Therefore, the problem of this study is to determine whether economic education significantly influences the entrepreneurial intentions of senior secondary school students in Mushin, Lagos State. Without clear evidence of this relationship, curriculum planners and policymakers may be unable to design effective strategies to promote entrepreneurship at the secondary school level.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of economic education on entrepreneurial intentions of senior secondary school students in Mushin, Lagos State.

Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Determine the level of exposure of students to economic education concepts.

2. Examine the level of entrepreneurial intention among senior secondary school students.

3. Assess the relationship between economic education and entrepreneurial intentions.

1.4 Research Question

The study is guided by the following research question:

• What is the impact of economic education on the entrepreneurial intentions of senior secondary school students in Mushin, Lagos State?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The study will test the following hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance:

H₀: There is no significant relationship between economic education and entrepreneurial intentions of senior secondary school students in Mushin, Lagos State.

H₁: There is a significant relationship between economic education and entrepreneurial intentions of senior secondary school students in Mushin, Lagos State.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study will be significant to students, teachers, curriculum planners, policymakers, and researchers.

For students, the findings will highlight the importance of economic education in shaping entrepreneurial mindset and career decisions. For teachers, the study may provide insight into the need for more practical and activity-based teaching approaches in Economics. For curriculum planners and education authorities in Lagos State, the findings may inform policy adjustments aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship components within the secondary school curriculum.

The study will also contribute to academic literature by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between economic education and entrepreneurial intentions at the secondary school level, particularly within an urban context like Mushin.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study focuses on senior secondary school students in Mushin, Lagos State. It examines the impact of economic education (independent variable) on entrepreneurial intentions (dependent variable). The study is limited to selected public and private secondary schools within Mushin and does not extend to other local government areas in Lagos State.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Economic Education:
The structured teaching and learning of economic concepts such as demand and supply, opportunity cost, production, consumption, savings, investment, and market systems as offered in the senior secondary school Economics curriculum in Mushin, Lagos State. In this study, it is measured by students’ exposure to economic concepts, teaching methods, and perceived relevance of the subject to business activities.

Entrepreneurial Intention:
The deliberate plan, willingness, and determination of a senior secondary school student to start a business or become self-employed in the future. In this study, it is measured through students’ expressed interest in owning a business, preference for self-employment, and readiness to take business-related risks.

Senior Secondary School Students:
Students in SS1, SS2, and SS3 classes in selected public and private secondary schools in Mushin, Lagos State.

Entrepreneurship:
The process of identifying business opportunities, organizing resources, and taking calculated risks to create and manage a new venture for profit or social value.

Curriculum Implementation:
The manner in which the Economics curriculum is delivered in the classroom, including teaching strategies, practical activities, assessment methods, and instructional materials used by teachers.

Self-Employment:
A form of employment where an individual creates and manages their own business venture rather than working for an employer.

Business Exposure:
The extent to which students are exposed to business activities within their environment, such as observing family businesses, local markets, and small-scale enterprises in Mushin.

Project – Impact of Economic Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions of Senior Secondary School Students in Mushin, Lagos State