Development and Validation of the Perceived Entrepreneurship Skills Scale (PESS) for Adolescents

Abstract

Entrepreneurship has traditionally been regarded as a skillset best suited for adults. However, recent research indicates that adolescents also possess entrepreneurial traits and may even exhibit higher levels of these skills than many adults. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Perceived Entrepreneurship Skills Scale (PESS) in adolescents. The study aimed to develop and validate the PESS in three phases. The first phase involved item generation and analysis, which resulted in the retention of 40 items (n = 100 participants). In the second phase, exploratory factor analysis was conducted, revealing 8 factors that emerged from the analysis (n = 233). In the third phase, the confirmatory factor analysis and validation of PESS were investigated with a sample of urban students in Iran, ranging from grade 7 to 12, with a total of 292 participants. The tool demonstrated good discriminant validity, indicating that it is an effective measure of perceived entrepreneurship skills in adolescents, and adequate convergent validity. The PESS has significant implications for researchers, school counselors and psychologists, policymakers, and stakeholders. © The Author(s) 2024