Achievement Motivation, Agripreneurship, Economic Growth, Employment Generation, Entrepreneurship, Job Giver, Job Seeker.

Entrepreneurship is a process of creation and of realizing values for entrepreneurs (Morris and Jones, 1999). The economic development of a nation depends on the level entrepreneurial activities within a nation. Entrepreneurship has been widely recognized as the engine that drives the economy. India is a nation with more than 125 crore of population. India has rich natural resources. The human and natural resources available have to be used properly for the country to move forward. Utilization of modern technology for harnessing the resources that would provide employment to millions is possible only through encouraging entrepreneurial activities. The adoption of new economic policy (NEP) by the government of India has laid emphasis on entrepreneurship. Thus, in the present context, entrepreneurship has assumed a more significant role in the economic development of India (Singh, 2014). Entrepreneurs play a very important role in the economic development of any nation. Entrepreneurship on small scale is the only solution to the problems of unemployment, proper utilization of both human and material resources and improving the living conditions of the poor masses. During the last three decades, many countries of the world have experienced the need for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship development has been accepted as a strategy to achieve the twin objectives of promotion of employment opportunities, particularly among the educated unemployed youth and also for rapid industrialization of the economy (Mali, 2000). The mounting rate of unemployment is one among the most important issues of the Indian economy in the current era. According to the reports of CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy) the unemployment rate in India rose to 24.30 per cent (Sharma, 2020). The segment of agriculture graduates securing elite jobs in the public sector is also declining gradually. Hence more job opportunities be created in the private sector so as to make better future for unemployed graduates (George and Bhaskaran 2004).

According to Sagie and Elizur (1999), McClelland's need for achievement theory highlighted that need for achievement is one of the strongest psychological factors influencing entrepreneurial behaviour. Individuals with high need for achievement will contribute more in entrepreneurial activity (Tong et al., 2011). They are able to perform better in challenging tasks and discover innovative ways to enhance their performance (Littunen, 2000). McClelland's theory of Needs, which identifies achievement motivation as a critical factor for entrepreneurial success. McClelland et al. (1958) suggested that individuals who possess a strong need for achievement are more likely to solve problems by themselves, set challenges and goals, and strive to achieve them by their own efforts.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature review summarizes findings from various research studies related to this topic. It helps identify existing knowledge about the research problem and highlights areas that require further investigation. Key relevant studies are summarized below.

McClelland et al. (1958) analyzed the effect of the need for achievement on thematic apperception and reported that people who are highly achievement motivated are more likely than those who are low achievement motivated to engage in vibrant and innovative activities which requires advance thinking for the future and take responsibility individually for task outcomes. As we are aware entrepreneurial activities certainly require an individual to think 'beyond the box' with farsighted vision and zeal. Kaufmann and Dant (1998) in their study on franchising and the domain of entrepreneurship research stated that achievement motivation is significantly correlated with two important factors of entrepreneurship like choice of an entrepreneurial career as well as entrepreneurial performance. Gadhvi (2012) revealed that the majority of these students fell into the medium-level category in terms of achievement motivation. Specifically, a notable 18.34 per cent of the students exhibited a high level of achievement motivation. Conversely, only a small proportion, approximately 8.33 per cent of the students, demonstrated a low level of achievement motivation. Khanmoradi et al. (2014) reported that when students have entrepreneurial motivation, their ultimate purpose will be to achieve the quest for economic independence, leadership, control, increased self confidence level, self esteem, determination to achieve and hard work. Mishra (2016) discovered that over half of postgraduate agriculture students (55.55%) exhibited high achievement motivation. Additionally, 26.67 per cent showed a medium level, while 17.78 per cent demonstrated a very high level of achievement motivation. Notably, none of the students fell into the low level of achievement motivation category. Muresan et al. (2017) explored the motivation of undergraduate engineering students regarding entrepreneurship. Their study revealed that a substantial number of students expressed a desire to initiate their own entrepreneurial ventures upon graduating. This suggests that a significant portion of the undergraduate engineering student population showed an interest in starting their own businesses after completing their education. Understanding the entrepreneurial aspirations of these students is crucial for designing educational initiatives and support systems that align with their interests and motivations. Yadav and Kashyap (2017) revealed that entrepreneurial intention of 82.73 per cent respondents were found to be moderate to low which could be due to the factor that majority of respondents were found to be with low to moderate risk orientation and low to moderate achievement motivation level. Devi (2019) discussed the achievement motivation levels among postgraduate students. The findings revealed that the majority of these students, specifically 71.66 per cent, exhibited a medium level of achievement motivation. Interestingly and surprisingly, the percentages of students with both low and high achievement motivation were equal, each accounting for 14.17 per cent of the student population. This information offers valuable insights into the distribution of achievement motivation levels among postgraduate students, which can have implications for their academic performance and career aspirations.

The present study attempts to identify achievement motivation for entrepreneurship among post graduate students of state agricultural universities of Gujarat. Here, the operational definitions of various constructs are as follows:

— Entrepreneurial Intention: Entrepreneurial intention is the readiness to start a business, with risk-taking propensity, locus of control and attitudes toward self-employment as predictors. It is a state of mind that people wish to create a new firm or a new value driver inside existing organizations.

— Students: This pertains to the Regular Full Time Post Graduate Degree pursuing students of both the years – first and second year of their post-graduation degree in agriculture and horticulture faculties of four SAUs situated at Navsari, Anand, Junagadh, and Dantiwada.

— Achievement motivation: Here, achievement motivation of students in relation to entrepreneurship refers to the specific drive and inclination within students to excel, succeed and accomplish goals in the field of entrepreneurship.

Research Design. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was used in this study to identify achievement motivation for entrepreneurship among postgraduate students at state agricultural universities in Gujarat. The study was conducted at a specific point in time, hence it is classified as cross-sectional. Primary data were collected from the students only once, underscoring the cross-sectional nature of the study.

Data Collection

(i) Primary data: The study is predominantly based on primary data. Primary data were collected from regular full time students enrolled in postgraduate programs (1st and 2nd year) in the agricultural and horticultural faculties of four SAUs located at Navsari, Anand, Junagadh, and Dantiwada.

(ii) Secondary data: Secondary data were also utilized for the study, which involved an extensive literature review, analysis of annual reports from the SAUs in Gujarat, examination of previous research studies, and collection of relevant secondary data from published reports of government departments, research papers, newspapers, books, and internet sources. Secondary data were sourced from various mediums including books, articles, journals, periodicals, other published and unpublished sources, as well as electronic databases and internet resources.

Sampling Procedure. Simple Random Sampling method, a form of probability sampling was adopted for the selection of respondents. Lottery method was utilized to ensure the random and proportionate selection of respondents from both the agriculture and horticulture faculties. For this, updated sampling frame was available, which made the task of selecting the respondents through lottery method. 

Sample Size. In this study, 300 students were randomly selected and surveyed from four state agricultural universities in Gujarat.

Demographic characteristics of the students. Based on the frequency analysis of the responses of 300 respondents, as shown in Table 1, demographic characteristics of respondents –students- were classified according to their gender, age, parental occupation and annual family income.Out of 300 respondents, majority (72.00%) of the respondents were male and only 28.00 per cent respondents were female. Most of the respondents 52.00 per cent fell within the 23-25 years age group. Additionally, about 47.33 per cent of respondents fell within the 20-22 years age group. Only 0.67 per cent of respondents were above 25 years old, while there were no respondents below 20 years old. The majority of respondents, comprising 59.67 per cent, reported their fathers' occupation as falling within the 'farming' category. Additionally, the percentages of respondents whose fathers were employed in government services and private sector services were nearly equal, at 17.67 per cent and 17.33 per cent respectively. A smaller proportion, 4.33 per cent, stated that their fathers were self-employed. Only 1.00 per cent of respondents reported their fathers' occupation as being in cooperative services. The majority of respondents, comprising 36.67 per cent, reported an annual family income of up to 1 lakh, followed by 32.67 percent with income ranging from 1,00,001 to 3 lakhs. Additionally, 15.33 percent had income between 3,00,001 to 5 lakhs, while 8.67 percent reported income above 7 lakhs. Only 6.67 percent of respondents had annual family income ranging from 5,00,001 to 7 lakhs.

Table 1: Demographic characteristics of the students.

Level of Achievement Motivation Among the Post Graduate Students

Analysis of Achievement Motivation among the respondents. Achievement Motivation is very important factor for students’ achievement in academic concern. It is simply the motivation to gain achievements that creates a framework for the students of how to experience the better achievement or attainment of pre-determined goal (Roy and Saha 2022).  Achievement motivation is an absolute learned trait in which satisfaction comes from determination, excellence in learning tasks and motivation to achieve highest level of excellence. In the present study, for analyzing the respondents’ achievement motivation, based on the review of literature, ten statements were formulated and a five point Likert type teacher made rating scale was used to measure the respondents’ achievement motivation. The level of achievement motivation of respondents was measured based on the mean score.

Table 2: Respondents’ Achievement Motivation (n = 300).

Figures in the parenthesis represent cumulative score obtained by CS = Score Value of Response x No. of Respondents

SA - Strongly Agree (5), A – Agree (4), N – Neutral (3), D – Disagree (2), SD - Strongly Disagree (1)

As mentioned in Table 2 regarding the achievement motivation of postgraduate students, it is clear that the majority of the respondents exhibit good achievement motivation. The statement "I continuously look for ways of doing things better and faster" received the highest score, with a mean value of 4.24, and ranked first. Following this, the statement "I will not be satisfied until I am the best in my field of work" secured the second rank with a mean score value of 4.22, followed by the statement "I am a perfectionist and like to have things done just right" with a mean score value of 4.20, ranked third. The statements "Even when I am not well, I will continue working if it is important" and "I always seek feedback on how well I am performing" were ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by other statements.

Respondents’ level of achievement motivation. Achievement motivation is accepted as a major prerequisite and strong motive for achievement. Achievement motivation is characterized by a strong desire associated with higher energy levels, ambition, and independence. Achievement motivation is an absolute learned trait in which satisfaction comes from determination, excellence in learning tasks and motivation to achieve highest level of excellence. The data regarding level of achievement motivation of respondents were collected and grouped into three categories viz., (i) Low achievement motivation (< Mean - SD), (ii) Medium achievement motivation (Mean ± SD) and (iii) High achievement motivation (>Mean + SD) and are presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Respondents’ level of achievement motivation.  (n= 300).

Figures in parentheses represent percentage

Table 3 clearly bring out the level of achievement motivation among the post graduate students. It shows that 78.00 per cent of the respondents from all streams of study expressed a medium level, 9.33 per cent of the respondents had a high level and 12.67 per cent had a low level achievement motivation. The faculty wise results show that 72.00 per cent of the respondents had a medium level, 20.00 per cent of the respondents had a high level and 8.00 per cent of respondents from the horticulture faculty were found to have a low level achievement motivation. Similarly, 79.20 per cent of the respondents had a medium level, 7.20 per cent of the respondents had a high level and 13.60 per cent of respondents from the agriculture faculty expressed a low level achievement motivation. It is observed that respondents from horticulture faculty were found to have more achievement motivation than respondents from agriculture faculty. Achievement motivation, an internal drive, significantly influences students' overall performance and skill development. The research revealed that a majority of the respondents demonstrated a strong desire to achieve their predetermined goals and succeed in today's competitive environment.

Anil Kumar and Mehul G. Thakkar  (2024). Achievement Motivation for Entrepreneurship Among Post Graduate Students of State Agricultural Universities of Gujarat. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 16(7): 06-11.