Student entrepreneurial intention questionnaire (TPB)

Entrepreneurial intention is a popular topic at business and engineering schools. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is the most widely used framework for it, with a questionnaire built following the guidance of Francis et al. (2004).

Research model

Model following Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB), as commonly used in entrepreneurial intention research (Krueger, Reilly and Carsrud, 2000; Liñán and Chen, 2009): attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control together affect intention.

• Attitude toward the Behavior → Behavioral Intention (positive)
• Subjective Norm → Behavioral Intention (positive)
• Perceived Behavioral Control → Behavioral Intention (positive)

Questionnaire items

Original English wording. Answered on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly disagree … 5 = Strongly agree) unless the scale page says otherwise; (R) marks a reverse-coded item.

Attitude toward the Behavior (ATT) · Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale

Code	Item
ATT1	[Performing the behavior] is: harmful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 beneficial
ATT2 (R)	[Performing the behavior] is: good 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 bad
ATT3 (R)	[Performing the behavior] is: pleasant (for me) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 unpleasant (for me)
ATT4	[Performing the behavior] is: worthless 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 useful

Source: Francis et al. (2004). See Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale.

Subjective Norm (SN) · Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale

Code	Item
SN1 (R)	Most people who are important to me think that I should 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I should not [perform the behavior].
SN2	It is expected of me that I [perform the behavior].
SN3	I feel under social pressure to [perform the behavior].
SN4	People who are important to me want me to [perform the behavior].
SN5	Most people like me [performed the behavior]. (unlikely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 likely)

Source: Francis et al. (2004). See Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale.

Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) · Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale

Code	Item
PBC1	I am confident that I could [perform the behavior] if I wanted to.
PBC2 (R)	For me to [perform the behavior] is: easy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 difficult
PBC3 (R)	The decision to [perform the behavior] is beyond my control.
PBC4	Whether I [perform the behavior] or not is entirely up to me.

Source: Francis et al. (2004). See Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale.

Behavioral Intention (INT) · Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale

Code	Item
INT1	I expect to [perform the behavior].
INT2	I want to [perform the behavior].
INT3	I intend to [perform the behavior].

Source: Francis et al. (2004). See Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale.

Tips

• Attitude in TPB is measured with pairs of opposite adjectives (for example harmful … beneficial), not agreement statements. This page and the Survey Kit present these items as 5-point semantic differential scales, with the negative pole at 1 except for items marked (R).
• The behavior must be defined specifically in terms of action, target, context and time, for example 'start a business within 2 years after graduation'.
• The original SN5 asks whether people like oneself have performed the behavior; for students who have not graduated, this template asks whether peers will do it.
• If you want an entrepreneurship-specific questionnaire, see the EIQ scale of Liñán and Chen (2009); you can add entrepreneurship education if the literature supports it, but you must find a sourced scale.

Work out the minimum sample size for this model; once the data are in, clean the responses and run the survey data analysis for your results chapter.

Studies that used this model

• Dao, Bui, Doan, Dao, Le and Le (2021). Impact of academic majors on entrepreneurial intentions of Vietnamese students: An extension of the theory of planned behavior. Heliyon, 7(3), e06381. Sample: 1,844 engineering and business students at 4 universities; items following Krueger et al. (2000) and Liñán and Chen (2009). Reliability: α 0.735-0.870; CR 0.753-0.873 (Table 3).
• Nguyen (2017). Entrepreneurial intention of international business students in Viet Nam: a survey of the country joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 6, 7. Sample: 372 final-year international business students; TPB. Reliability: α 0.739-0.866 (Table 1).
• Doanh (2021). The role of contextual factors on predicting entrepreneurial intention among Vietnamese students. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 9(1), 169–188. Sample: 2,218 final-year students at 14 universities; TPB factors as mediators. Reliability: .

Collecting responses

If your own network cannot reach the target respondents, you can pay for verified responses through Genius Data (referral link, we may earn a commission), paying only for approved responses.