Study Background

This is a continuation of the first analysis that was conducted and presented by Prof. Melodi Botha from Department of Business Management, University of Pretoria. The main objective of the experiment was to assess the change in learners’ level of Entrepreneurial Competencies (ECs) prior to and after they were exposed to the Wavumbuzi Entrepreneurship Challenge (WEC). In summary, herewith is a brief overview of the experiment.

• The study was a Pretest–Posttest experimental design, where measurements were taken prior to administering some treatment, followed by a posttest on the same measure after treatment occurs.
• The baseline (pre-test) sample was tested before exposure to the WEC and consisted of 5,211 usable surveys filled by high school learners from over 200 schools spanning over 40 counties in Kenya.
• The endline (post-test) sample was tested after the respondents were exposed to the WEC, and this sample size consists of 1,167 usable responses.
• Therefore, for this study, a sample of 1,167 respondents completed both surveys and are included in the inferential analysis.
• This experimental design enabled us to determine whether the respondents’ level of ECs improved after they were exposed to the WEC.
• Data were collected over a seven-week period from 26 July 2023 to 5 August 2023 (excluding weeks where the learners wrote exams) using an online, self-administered survey questionnaire which was hosted using Wavumbuzi AWS platform.

Experiment Results

Out of the 18 validated entrepreneurial factors that were assessed, 12 factors improved. Improvement was assessed by taking the average difference between the post-test (endline) ECs score and the pre-test (baseline) ECs score. Entrepreneurial competencies with positive average differences between baseline (Pre) and endline (Post) is presented below:

The results indicate that there were statistically significant differences for all of the factors except for the Need to achieve, Need for autonomy, Resilience and Values driven ECs as well as EI 2 and EM 2. This indicates that for these eight ECs the baseline and endline respondents’ ECs are fairly similar. Thus, most of the ECs (9 out of 13) levels did improve for the endline sample and are therefore effectively developed through the WEC.

Figure 1: Statistically significant differences between the baseline and endline samples.

Figure 1 presents statistically significant differences between the baseline and endline samples.

For more details on the methodology, results, and zoom recording for the first analysis, please use these links below:

• Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/4/folders/1JBOsbsOnYrnxLMqkEw5r1fC3nrhacaf7

Scope and Objective

As this is a continuation of the initial analysis, the objective of this analysis is centered around questions and suggestions discussed during the presentation. The three main recommendations are outlined below:

• Descriptively analyse the respondents who completed both the baseline and endline surveys.
• Domain plurality: Assess the level of engagement and intensity of gameplay within study participants.
• Domain specificity: Examine the correlation between the type of quests and statistically significant entrepreneurial factors.
• Compare the number of statistically significant ECs between engaged and disengaged respondents.

Age: The mean age for the overall sample was 15.9 years, with little variation observed between Engaged (Mean = 15.9, SD = 1.8) and Not Engaged (Mean = 16.1, SD = 2.0) participants. No statistically significant difference in age was found between the two groups (p = 0.3).

Gender: The majority of participants identified as Female, accounting for 51.4% of the total sample. Male participants constituted 46.2% of the sample, while 1.1% preferred not to specify their gender, and 1.3% preferred to self-describe. The difference in gender distribution between Engaged and Not Engaged groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

Education: Participants were categorized into two educational levels: Lower Secondary/High school and Upper Secondary/High school. The majority of participants fell into the Upper Secondary/High school category (57.3%), while 42.7% belonged to the Lower Secondary/High school category. No statistically significant difference in educational level was observed between Engaged and Not Engaged participants (p > 0.9).

Quest Participation: Participants’ engagement in various quests was examined, including Introductory Quest, Renewable Energy Quest, E-Commerce Quest, Banking Quest, Sport Quest, Smart Cities Quest, and Creative Industry Quest. A higher proportion of Engaged participants completed all quests compared to Not Engaged participants. Statistically significant differences were observed in quest completion rates between Engaged and Not Engaged groups for all quest types (p < 0.001). Specifically, all Engaged participants completed the quests, while no Not Engaged participants completed them.

The paired samples test as shown on the table was conducted to determine whether there are statistically significant differences for the ECs between the baseline and endline samples. The results indicate that there were statistically significant differences for all of the factors except for the Need for autonomy, Resilience and Values driven ECs as well as EI 2 and EM 2. This indicates that for these eight ECs the baseline and endline respondents’ ECs are fairly similar. Thus, most of the ECs (10 out of 13) levels did improve for the endline sample and are therefore effectively developed through the WEC.

Entrepreneurial experience significantly increased from baseline to endline. Business preparation (Entrepreneurial Intention – EI 1) decreased, indicating reduced intentions to prepare for entrepreneurship. Intent to start-up (Entrepreneurial Intention – EI 2) remained largely unchanged. A positive entrepreneurial mindset (Entrepreneurial Mindset – EM 1) increased significantly. Structured tasks and following others’ rules (Entrepreneurial Mindset – EM 2) showed no significant change. Need to Achieve, Need for Autonomy, Resilience, Values Driven, and Self-efficacy remained stable over time. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in Taking Action and Initiative, Opportunity Recognition, Opportunity Assessment, Innovative Problem-Solving, Resourcefulness, Mobilising Others, Working with Others, and Money Sense from baseline to endline. There was a significant increase in scores for Money Sense specifically. Paired t-tests were used to assess the statistical significance of these changes, providing insights into how various entrepreneurial and psychological variables evolved over time in the study.