Designing and Validating the Model of Empowering Faculty Members to Encourage Students to Engage in Entrepreneurial Activities

The present research adopts an exploratory and foundational approach to provide a conceptual framework for explaining the empowerment of faculty members in encouraging students' entrepreneurial activities. The statistical population of the qualitative and quantitative sections of the study consists of all faculty members of Farhangian University, totaling 820 individuals. The qualitative sample was selected using snowball and purposive sampling methods, consisting of 15 participants, while the quantitative sample was determined using the Morgan table and random sampling, totaling 265 participants. The data collection instruments for the qualitative section were semi-structured interviews, and for the quantitative section, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. The content validity of the interview questions and questionnaire was confirmed by 5 faculty members of Farhangian University. The reliability of the interview results was calculated and confirmed using the Holsti test with a coefficient of 0.81, and the questionnaire reliability was assessed and confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which was equivalent to 0.837. The data analyzed using MAXQDA 20.4.2, IBM SPSS Statistics 26, and SmartPLS 3 software. The data analysis conducted using a data-driven theoretical framework, which included open, axial, and selective coding to achieve the extracted pattern from the research. The qualitative findings indicate that 6 dimensions, 14 factors, and 62 components of empowering faculty members are effective in encouraging students' entrepreneurial activities. The quantitative findings confirm the extracted pattern. Absolute and parsimonious fit indices support the desired fit of the empowerment model of faculty members in encouraging students' entrepreneurial activities.