A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF CURRICULUM COURSE CONTENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION IN UAE HIGHER EDUCATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.935016Keywords:
Curriculum Course Content, Entrepreneurship Education, Entrepreneurial Intention, Higher Education In The UAE, Self-EfficacyAbstract
The United Arab Emirates has prioritised entrepreneurship education (EE) to reduce reliance on the public sector and support its transition to a knowledge-based economy. To promote entrepreneurial intention (EI) to students in universities, entrepreneurship programmes have been established. Nevertheless, it has been shown that the existing results are still below national policy expectations. This article maintains that ineffective student motivation or insufficient institutional resources are not the primary challenge. Rather, the issue lies in the lack of alignment between the EI development approaches influenced by the psychological, cultural, and structural contexts of EI in the UAE and the taught entrepreneurship courses reflected in current curricula. This paper critically reviews the UAE-based, theoretically applicable literature to discuss the impact of curriculum design on entrepreneurial intention. It assesses paramount and declarative instruction, growth of self-efficacy, integration with role models, online learning, content that remains gender conscious and compatibility with the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The review determines five important conclusions. Instruction that relies on theory constrains the development of self-efficacy. Misaligned culturally controlled curricula undermine the social norms and perceived behavioural control. Equity: Gender-responsive course design is not an equity effort, but a construction requirement. Ineffectiveness of the the curricula and ecosystem support programme due to poor alignment. Last, the disjuncture between the entrepreneurial intention and business creation indicates systemic impediments that cannot be overcome through a reformed curriculum. The article wraps up by providing institution-specific and theoretically grounded recommendations to higher education institutions, policymakers, and educators of entrepreneurship in the UAE.
Downloads
References
Ajzen, I. (2011). The theory of planned behaviour: Reactions and reflections. In Psychology and Health (Vol. 26, Number 9). https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2011.613995
Al Adwan, M. N., Hegazy, A., Basha, S. E., Mamdouh, A., El Hajji, M., Alketbi, B., & Fayez, H. (2025). Investigating the Role of Public Relations Campaigns in Environment Awareness Among University Students. Sustainability (Switzerland), 17(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135675
Al Saiqal, N. Y., Ryan, J. C., & Parcero, O. J. (2019). Entrepreneurial Intention and UAE Youth: Unique Influencers of Entrepreneurial Intentions in an Emerging Country Context. Journal of East-West Business. https://doi.org/10.1080/10669868.2018.1536012
AlDhaheri, R. T. (2024). Entrepreneurship Education Integration and Implementation in Undergraduate Programs in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Adult, Community and Professional Learning. https://doi.org/10.18848/2328-6318/CGP/v31i01/45-60
Alkaabi, K. (2023). Applying the Innovative Approach of Employing a Business Simulation Game and Prototype Developing Platform in an Online Flipped Classroom of an Entrepreneurial Summer Course: A Case Study of UAEU. Education Sciences, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010013
Alkaabi, K., & Senghore, S. (2024). Student entrepreneurship competency and mindset: examining the influence of education, role models, and gender. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-024-00393-5
Ayed, T. L., Fallatah, M. I., & Alhoqail, S. A. (2026). From classroom to venture: How entrepreneurial programs, engagement, and extracurricular activities drive entrepreneurial intention. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101350
Bodolica, V., Spraggon, M., & Badi, H. (2021). Extracurricular activities and social entrepreneurial leadership of graduating youth in universities from the Middle East. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100489
Boucif, S. A., Wan Nawang, W. R., Saadallah, O., & Mursidi, A. (2025). Extending the theory of planned behavior in predicting entrepreneurial intention among university students: The role of perceived relational support. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101168
Chen, H. X. (2024). Exploring the Influence of Proactive Personality on Entrepreneurial Intention: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Attitude and Moderating Effect of Perceived Educational Support Among University Students. SAGE Open, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241233379
Curtis, V., Moon, R., & Penaluna, A. (2021). Active entrepreneurship education and the impact on approaches to learning: Mixed methods evidence from a six-year study into one entrepreneurship educator’s classroom. Industry and Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422220975319
Damodharan, V. S., & Asraar Ahmed, K. A. (2022). Exploring the Emirati female student entrepreneurs in the UAE through the theory of planned behaviour. Transnational Marketing Journal. https://doi.org/10.33182/tmj.v10i1.2043
Dennett, P. (2025). Training Needs for Entrepreneurship Education in the Creative Industries in the UAE. Entrepreneurship in the Creative Industries: Contemporary Perspectives from the Arabian Gulf and Asia. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003410188-10
Elnadi, M., & Gheith, M. H. (2021). Entrepreneurial ecosystem, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention in higher education: Evidence from Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100458
Facchini, F., Jaeck, L., & Bouhaddioui, C. (2021). Culture and Entrepreneurship in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-020-00663-z
Fayolle, A. J. C., & Gailly, B. (2008). From craft to science: Teaching models and learning processes in entrepreneurship education. Journal of European Industrial Training. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590810899838
Fiet, J. O. (2001). The theoretical side of teaching entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(99)00041-5
Gallant, M., Majumdar, S., & Damodharan, V. S. (2010). Outlook of female students towards entrepreneurship: An analysis of a selection of business students in Dubai. Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues. https://doi.org/10.1108/17537981011070127
Hassan, O., & Ibourk, A. (2023). Perceived effectiveness of entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention among Moroccan university students: A correlational study. Social Sciences and Humanities Open. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100719
Jabeen, F., Albitar, Y. A., & Shehzad, N. (2019). Perceptions and career choices linked to the UAE youths’ entrepreneurial intention. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management.
Jabeen, F., Faisal, M. N., & Katsioloudes, M. I. (2017). Entrepreneurial mindset and the role of universities as strategic drivers of entrepreneurship: Evidence from the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-07-2016-0117
Jalili, A. W., Wang, Y., & Niu, N. (2026). Revisiting the link between entrepreneurship education and student intention: A review of empirical and theoretical insights. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2026.101408
Khalifa, A. H., & Dhiaf, M. M. (2016). The impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intention: The uae context. Polish Journal of Management Studies. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2016.14.1.11
Khalil, H., Hashim, K. F., Atalls, S., & Rababa, M. (2024). Shaping the entrepreneurial mindset: Exploring the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions among university students in the UAE: The mediating role of individual entrepreneurial orientation. International Journal of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102430
Khetarpal, R., Jain, D., & Mitra, B. (2025). The role of entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial motivation, and entrepreneurial readiness in mapping entrepreneurial intention of youth. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101272
Lindh, I. (2017). Entrepreneurial development and the different aspects of reflection. International Journal of Management Education, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2016.12.001
López-Carril, S., Rodríguez-García, M., & Mas-Tur, A. (2024). TED Talks and entrepreneurial intention in higher education: A fsQCA approach. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2024.100980
Maharaj, I. (2026). No woman is an island: cross-generational experiences of navigating entrepreneurial barriers and opportunities in a collectivist culture. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-10-2024-0353
Majumdar, S., & Damodharan, V. S. (2013). Students’ attitude towards entrepreneurship: Does gender matter in the UAE? Foresight. https://doi.org/10.1108/FS-03-2012-0011
Mohammed, A. Q. (2019). Measuring students entrepreneurial intentions: The study of al Dhafra region, Abu Dhabi, UAE. International Journal of Entrepreneurship.
Mohebi, L., & David, S. A. (2024). Exploring the Factors Affecting Career Choices of Undergraduate Emirati Students. SAGE Open, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241295814
Nair, M., Ghafar, A., & Sasikumar, A. (2023). Development of Human Capital Embedded in Socially Innovative Educational Practices. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54009-7_30
Neck, H. M., & Greene, P. G. (2011). Entrepreneurship Education: Known Worlds and New Frontiers. Journal of Small Business Management. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2010.00314.x
Passavanti, C., Primario, S., & Rippa, P. (2024). How entrepreneurial role models impact on entrepreneurial outcomes: A gender perspective. International Journal of Management Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2024.101011
Pauceanu, A. M., Alpenidze, O., Edu, T. M., & Zaharia, R. M. (2019). What determinants influence students to start their own business? Empirical evidence from United Arab Emirates universities. Sustainability (Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010092
Ratkovic, T., Paunovic, I., & Šlogar, H. (2025). The role of university entrepreneurship support and student diversity in student entrepreneurial intention: a social identity theory perspective. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321651
Saji Salim, B., & Nair, A. R. (2018). Effectiveness of innovation and entrepreneurship education in UAE higher education. Academy of Strategic Management Journal.
Sandhu, M. A., Farooq, M. O., Sayed, S., & Farooq, M. (2021). Benchmarking entrepreneurial intentions of women in the United Arab Emirates. Benchmarking. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-09-2020-0497
Santos, S. C., Nikou, S., Brännback, M., & Liguori, E. W. (2021). Are social and traditional entrepreneurial intentions really that different? International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 27(7). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-01-2021-0072
Smail, L., AlAwad, M., & Abaza, W. (2025). Exploring the influence of environmental, social and individual factors on the entrepreneurial intentions of Emirati university students. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-04-2024-0058
Straatmann, T., Rothenhöfer, L. M., Meier, A., & Müller, K. (2018). A Configurational Perspective on the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Understand Employees’ Change-Supportive Intentions. Applied Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12120
Sukavejworakit, K., Promsiri, T., & Virasa, T. (2018). Increasing entrepreneurial intention with the application of experiential learning theory: An innovative learning method and empirical test. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review. https://doi.org/10.59588/2350-8329.1162
Syed, R. T., Alzahmi, R. A., & Tariq, U. M. (2024). Digital entrepreneurship education in universities through the lens of educators: evidence from the United Arab Emirates. Cogent Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2409472
van Ewijk, A. R., & Belghiti-Mahut, S. (2019). Context, gender and entrepreneurial intentions: How entrepreneurship education changes the equation. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-05-2018-0054
Van Ewijk, A., & Al-Aomar, R. (2016). Inspiration, self-awareness and entrepreneurial intentions: A mixed-method case study of postgraduate engineering students in the UAE. Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 19(1).
Zhang, J., Li, B., Zhang, Y., Gong, C., & Liu, Z. (2022). From Entrepreneurship Education, Government Support, and Global Competence to Entrepreneurial Behavior: The Serial Double Mediating Effect of the Self-Efficacy and Entrepreneurial Intention. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.8382
