A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET OF STEM AND NON-STEM STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS

Abstract

The current study compares the locus of control and entrepreneurial mindset of stem and non-stem undergraduate students in the University of Lagos. A survey research design was employed in this study using a questionnaire as a mode of data collection. A total number of three hundred (300) undergraduates between the age of 16 and 40 years participated in this study, stem students accounted for 50% of the total population, and non-stem constituted 50%. Forty-four (44%) of the participants were males and fifty-six (56%) were females. five hypotheses were raised and tested using a t-test for independent samples, and correlation. The result of the study revealed significant differences in the locus of control among stem and non-stem students, given the p-values to be [t (2,298) = -2.560, p<.05] which is lower than the chosen significant value (0.05). Secondly, the result of the study revealed no significant difference in entrepreneurial mindset among stem and non-stem students given the pvalues to be [t (2,298) = -.167, p>.05] which is higher than the chosen significant value (0.05). Thirdly, the result also reveals that locus of control and entrepreneurial mindset was not significantly and positively correlated (r = -.010, p>.05) among stem and non-stem students. Fourthly, the result of the study revealed no significant difference in gender on entrepreneurial mindset among stem and non-stem students, given the p-values to be (.680) which is higher than the chosen significant value (0.05). Lastly, the result revealed a significant difference in gender on locus of control among stem and non-stem students, given the p-values to be [t (2,298) = .438, p>.05] which is higher than the chosen significant value (0.05). The study, therefore, concludes that there exists a significant difference in the locus of control among stem and non-stem students, ascertaining that there is no significant difference in entrepreneurial mindset, that there is no significant relationship between locus of 
control and entrepreneurial mindset, there was no significant gender difference in entrepreneurial mindset, there is a significant gender difference in the locus of control among stem and non-stem students, with Male students having higher scores on locus of control than Female student.