Nexus Between Entrepreneurial Mindset and Cybercrime Prevention Among Students in Selected Institutions in Kwara State

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial mindset and cybercrime prevention among students in selected tertiary institutions in Kwara State, Nigeria. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991), the research investigates how students' ethical orientation, self-efficacy, and opportunity recognition influence cybercrime-preventive behaviour. A descriptive survey design was employed, collecting data from 238 valid responses out of 300 distributed questionnaires across the University of Ilorin, Kwara State Polytechnic, and the College of Education, Ilorin. Results indicate that students exhibit a moderately high entrepreneurial mindset (M = 3.92, SD = 0.64) and moderate cybercrime-prevention behaviour (M = 3.76, SD = 0.71). Correlation analysis revealed a strong positive relationship between entrepreneurial mindset and cybercrime prevention (r = 0.621, p < 0.05). Regression analysis further showed that ethical orientation (β = 0.352), self-efficacy (β = 0.298), and opportunity recognition (β = 0.234) significantly predict cybercrime-preventive behaviours, explaining 54.3% of the variance. The findings suggest that fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, particularly ethical reasoning and self-efficacy, can reduce students’ likelihood of engaging in cybercrime. The study recommends integrating ethical entrepreneurship, digital citizenship, and experiential mentoring into tertiary curricula to promote responsible online conduct and sustainable innovation.