Open University of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Digital storytelling (DST) has become a powerful innovative teaching approach for both learners and educators. Digital storytelling can be used as an educational tool for giving beneficiaries logical space and leading them into a path that starts from the strong need for entrepreneurial learners to share and interact within a knowledge, skills creation procedure which provides them with a vision and new business ideas. The purpose of this study is to determine how digital storytelling can influence the open and distance learners’ (ODL) entrepreneurial intentions, based on Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour. This theory postulates three basically independent elements of intention, viz. the attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control.
A quantitative research approach was adopted in this study. This research was based on a sample of entrepreneurial learners in the Open University of Sri Lanka. A total of 286 completed questionnaires were used for the data analysis. The research model was tested with structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques. Structural equation modelling was selected for this study as the researchers are interested in studying the theoretical constructs that cannot be observed. A hypothesized model developed for the study was tested through AMOS.
The results showed that digital storytelling can act as a trigger and innovative teaching approach in the field of entrepreneurship. In fact, the finding of this study confirmed that the attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control are an important predictor and determinant of the entrepreneurial intentions of Sri Lankan open and distance learners. Indeed, the attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behaviour are significantly and positively related to entrepreneurial intentions. This therefore suggests that digital stories may be the entry point for new business creation.
The study suggests that the best way to create awarness of the entrepreneurial intention at the learners’ level is mostly through digital storytelling. Thus, digital storytelling should guarantee the development of personal traits in order to be considered as a significant trigger of entrepreneurial intention. This result implies that an entrepreneurial culture seems to be growing in Sri Lanka, especially after the end of 30 years of ethnic conflict. Digital storytelling may be used in ODL as an underpinning strategy to support cushioning for entrepreneurial intentions, thereby creating an entrepreneurship-driven culture in Sri Lanka.