The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Skills in the Relationship between Outcome Expectations and Entrepreneurial Readiness among TVET Graduates in Uganda
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This research investigates whether entrepreneurial skills mediate the relationship between outcome expectations and entrepreneurial readiness among TVET graduates in Uganda. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and Human Capital Theory, we analyzed survey data from 151 graduates using PLS-SEM. Although Yamane's formula targeted a sample of 303, the final usable sample comprised 151 graduates due to challenges in tracing participants. Although smaller than planned, the sample exceededthe minimum threshold for PLS-SEM analysis (Hair et al., 2014) and was sufficient to test the proposed model. Our findings show that outcome expectations significantly enhance entrepreneurial skills (β =0.621, p < 0.01) and directly predict entrepreneurial readiness (β = 0.42, p < 0.01). Entrepreneurial skills partially mediate this relationship (indirect effect: β = 0.188, p < 0.01). The model explains 54% of the variance in entrepreneurial readiness (R² = 0.540) and 38.6% in entrepreneurial skills (R² = 0.386). While previous research has focused primarily on entrepreneurial intentions, few studies have examined the cognitive and skill-based mechanisms linking outcome expectations to entrepreneurial readiness. This study contributes to the literature by: (1) empirically testing the mediating role of entrepreneurial skills in a developing African context; (2) integrating Social Cognitive Theory and Human Capital Theory within TVET entrepreneurship research; and (3) providing quantitative evidence from Uganda, thus addressing the geographical bias in entrepreneurship research in developing countries.Keywords: Outcome expectations, Entrepreneurial skills, Entrepreneurial readiness, TVET graduates, Uganda
Source: ORSEA Journal
Institution: Makerere University
Language: English
Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7225285111