An assessment of the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on the success of selected public secondary schools

Abstract

There is a need for research on the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the success of public schools. Through an investigation of the influence of an entrepreneurial orientation on the perceived success of secondary schools, this study attempts to address this need. The influence of the five independent entrepreneurial orientation dimensions, Innovativeness, Autonomy, Risk-taking, Opportunity utilisation and Competitive aggressiveness, was measured by means of four dependent variables: an Effective learning environment, Learner achievement, Strategic intent and Staff development. The respondents were identified by means of a convenience sampling technique, and the survey yielded 313 useable questionnaires from five high performing public secondary schools. To assess the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument, the data collected were analysed by means of an exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated. The hypothesised relationships were assessed by means of a multiple regression analysis. The results show that Innovativeness and Opportunity utilisation exert a positive influence on all four variables measuring the Perceived success of the participating schools. Competitive aggressiveness, furthermore, exerts a positive influence on Learner achievement. Autonomy also has a positive influence on an Effective learning environment. There were no significant relationships between Risk-taking and any of the perceived success variables.