University of Zabol
Abstract: (388 Views)
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: In the current era, digital technologies have significantly affected labor markets, placing the development of entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability (as career outcomes) at the forefront of policy and educational agendas. Developing entrepreneurial and employable students remains one of the core missions of higher education. Consequently, preparing entrepreneurial and employable students in the digital age likely requires attention to their digital skills. However, the mechanism by which digital skills influence students’ career outcomes (entrepreneurial intentions, perceived employability) remains unclear, and research in this area is scarce. Moreover, the limited findings from existing studies are contradictory. Evidence suggests that self-efficacy may partially explain this mechanism. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of digital skills on entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability among agricultural students and examines the mediating role of self-efficacy in this context. Achieving the objectives of this research will contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability and clarify the importance of digital skills in shaping career outcomes for agricultural students.
Materials and Methods: This study used a quantitative approach. In design terms, data collection and analysis followed a cross-sectional, survey-based, causal-relational format. All fourth-year undergraduate students in public universities formed the statistical population. Using the inverse square root method, 384 students were selected as the sample. Multi-stage sampling was applied: first, two universities were randomly selected from each region of the five regions defined by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology; then, data were collected from students in the selected universities using convenience sampling. The research instrument comprised questionnaires on digital skills (37 items across seven dimensions: digital communication, digital content production, digital empathy, digital information, digital security, digital critical thinking, and digital problem-solving), self-efficacy (8 items), entrepreneurial intentions (6 items), and perceived employability (3 items). Items used a five-point Likert scale and were delivered via the Porsline online platform, distributed to the study sample. Content validity was evaluated and confirmed by several agricultural education experts. Reliability was confirmed by a pilot study using Cronbach’s alpha (α > 0.7). Measurement model validity was also confirmed through factor loadings and convergent and discriminant validity; and reliability was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability (α and CR > 0.7; AVE > 0.5; HTMT < 0.85). The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, and Smart PLS software was used for estimation.
Results: Analysis of the direct path from digital skills to entrepreneurial intentions showed a small effect size (f² = 0.019) with a positive coefficient (β = 0.125, t = 2.157, p = 0.031). This coefficient indicates that digital skills relate to entrepreneurial intentions, yet the magnitude remains minor and lacks practical strength once other variables enter the model. When the model includes self-efficacy, the indirect effect from digital skills to entrepreneurial intentions increases substantially (β = 0.294, t = 7.842, p = 0.001). This pattern supports full mediation, as digital skills shape entrepreneurial intentions primarily through self-efficacy rather than through a strong direct path. For perceived employability, digital skills show both a direct and an indirect association. The direct path is positive but small (β = 0.231, t = 4.066, p = 0.001), and the indirect path through self-efficacy is also positive (β = 0.268, t = 6.607, p = 0.001). Together, these paths yield a large total effect on perceived employability (β = 0.499, t = 12.040, p = 0.001). In contrast, the total effect on entrepreneurial intentions reaches a medium level (β = 0.419, t = 9.011, p = 0.001), consistent with a pathway that relies mainly on self-efficacy. The results revealed that the predictor variables collectively explained 43.2% of the variance in perceived employability and 39.7% of the variance in students' entrepreneurial intentions.
Conclusion: The findings offer new insight into the role of digital skills in shaping the career outcomes of undergraduate agricultural students and partially clarify the underlying mechanism. The results show that digital skills do not exert a substantial direct influence on career outcomes; rather, their effect, particularly on intentions to start a new business, occurs through self-efficacy. Accordingly, digital skills development, by strengthening students’ self-efficacy, can improve their perceptions of their capabilities in both securing employment and initiating a new venture. The results confirm that higher education programs seeking to build entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability in agricultural students should reinforce self-efficacy alongside teaching and developing digital skills. In summary, because the total effects of digital skills on career outcomes show that they act as a key and strong predictor of the outcomes studied (perceived employability and entrepreneurial intentions) in agricultural students, these findings can inform the design of programs that target entrepreneurship and employability improvement. Moreover, the strength of the total effects of digital skills on both perceived employability and entrepreneurial intentions provides a strong justification for investment in digital skills development programs within agricultural higher education institutions.
Introduction and Objectives: In the current era, digital technologies have significantly affected labor markets, placing the development of entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability (as career outcomes) at the forefront of policy and educational agendas. Developing entrepreneurial and employable students remains one of the core missions of higher education. Consequently, preparing entrepreneurial and employable students in the digital age likely requires attention to their digital skills. However, the mechanism by which digital skills influence students’ career outcomes (entrepreneurial intentions, perceived employability) remains unclear, and research in this area is scarce. Moreover, the limited findings from existing studies are contradictory. Evidence suggests that self-efficacy may partially explain this mechanism. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of digital skills on entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability among agricultural students and examines the mediating role of self-efficacy in this context. Achieving the objectives of this research will contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability and clarify the importance of digital skills in shaping career outcomes for agricultural students.
Materials and Methods: This study used a quantitative approach. In design terms, data collection and analysis followed a cross-sectional, survey-based, causal-relational format. All fourth-year undergraduate students in public universities formed the statistical population. Using the inverse square root method, 384 students were selected as the sample. Multi-stage sampling was applied: first, two universities were randomly selected from each region of the five regions defined by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology; then, data were collected from students in the selected universities using convenience sampling. The research instrument comprised questionnaires on digital skills (37 items across seven dimensions: digital communication, digital content production, digital empathy, digital information, digital security, digital critical thinking, and digital problem-solving), self-efficacy (8 items), entrepreneurial intentions (6 items), and perceived employability (3 items). Items used a five-point Likert scale and were delivered via the Porsline online platform, distributed to the study sample. Content validity was evaluated and confirmed by several agricultural education experts. Reliability was confirmed by a pilot study using Cronbach’s alpha (α > 0.7). Measurement model validity was also confirmed through factor loadings and convergent and discriminant validity; and reliability was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability (α and CR > 0.7; AVE > 0.5; HTMT < 0.85). The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, and Smart PLS software was used for estimation.
Results: Analysis of the direct path from digital skills to entrepreneurial intentions showed a small effect size (f² = 0.019) with a positive coefficient (β = 0.125, t = 2.157, p = 0.031). This coefficient indicates that digital skills relate to entrepreneurial intentions, yet the magnitude remains minor and lacks practical strength once other variables enter the model. When the model includes self-efficacy, the indirect effect from digital skills to entrepreneurial intentions increases substantially (β = 0.294, t = 7.842, p = 0.001). This pattern supports full mediation, as digital skills shape entrepreneurial intentions primarily through self-efficacy rather than through a strong direct path. For perceived employability, digital skills show both a direct and an indirect association. The direct path is positive but small (β = 0.231, t = 4.066, p = 0.001), and the indirect path through self-efficacy is also positive (β = 0.268, t = 6.607, p = 0.001). Together, these paths yield a large total effect on perceived employability (β = 0.499, t = 12.040, p = 0.001). In contrast, the total effect on entrepreneurial intentions reaches a medium level (β = 0.419, t = 9.011, p = 0.001), consistent with a pathway that relies mainly on self-efficacy. The results revealed that the predictor variables collectively explained 43.2% of the variance in perceived employability and 39.7% of the variance in students' entrepreneurial intentions.
Conclusion: The findings offer new insight into the role of digital skills in shaping the career outcomes of undergraduate agricultural students and partially clarify the underlying mechanism. The results show that digital skills do not exert a substantial direct influence on career outcomes; rather, their effect, particularly on intentions to start a new business, occurs through self-efficacy. Accordingly, digital skills development, by strengthening students’ self-efficacy, can improve their perceptions of their capabilities in both securing employment and initiating a new venture. The results confirm that higher education programs seeking to build entrepreneurial intentions and perceived employability in agricultural students should reinforce self-efficacy alongside teaching and developing digital skills. In summary, because the total effects of digital skills on career outcomes show that they act as a key and strong predictor of the outcomes studied (perceived employability and entrepreneurial intentions) in agricultural students, these findings can inform the design of programs that target entrepreneurship and employability improvement. Moreover, the strength of the total effects of digital skills on both perceived employability and entrepreneurial intentions provides a strong justification for investment in digital skills development programs within agricultural higher education institutions.
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Intention, Perceived Employability, Digital Competencies, Career Path, Structural Equation Modeling
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