ENTREPRENEURIAL CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS REQUIRED OF BUSINESS EDUCATION GRADUATES FOR SELF-RELIANCE IN BAYELSA STATE

Abstract

The study examined entrepreneurial creative thinking skills required of business education graduates for self-reliance in Bayelsa state. The study adopted the survey research design and was guided by one research question and one null hypothesis. The population comprised 162 registered entrepreneurs in Bayelsa State. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire of a four-point response scale of highly required (HR), required (R), Lowly required (LR), and Not required (NR). Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze data related to the research question while t-test statistic was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that entrepreneurial creative thinking skills ability to recognize business opportunities, ability to create new idea in business, ability to apply new ideas in different situations, ability to change things around in business, innovative ability, ability to discover new ways of solving business problems, ability to do things by applying new methods, ability to find various ways to business success, ability to analyze critically any business plan, ability to put the right personnel to accomplish a business task are required of business education graduates for self-reliance in Bayelsa State. Consequently, the study recommended that business educators should properly integrate the identified entrepreneurial creative thinking skills into specific objectives for training undergraduates for entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. Through the development of entrepreneurship education, awareness will be created among the students so that they will be willing to cultivate keen interest in the skills inherent in business education programme.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial skills, Business Education, Self-Reliance