Analysis of Factors Affecting Razi University Students' Attitudes Towards Self-Employment

People's attitudes towards self-employment are influenced by various factors. Meanwhile, in the current economic conditions of Iran, we are also facing the challenge of unemployment among university graduates. In addition, what has been neglected in entrepreneurship and job creation research is the study of the complex interaction of these factors and the relative contribution of each of them in shaping students' attitudes towards self-employment. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the attitudes of Razi University students towards their self-employment. This study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of method. The statistical population consisted of 234 Razi University students, whose sample size was selected based on the Morgan table and by random sampling method. Data collection was carried out through a researcher-made questionnaire, and data analysis was carried out in two parts: descriptive statistics (including mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation) and inferential statistics (including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis) using SPSS and AMOS software. Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, four main factors were identified as influencing students' attitudes, which explained 64.77% of the total variance. These factors, in order of importance, are: motivational factors including the ability to control costs and income, realize personal ideas, and have a social impact (42.81%); entrepreneurial self-efficacy including the ability to solve original problems and analyze risks (10.76%); perceived barriers including financial and social barriers (6.23%); and educational factors including university support and access to entrepreneurial networks (4.96%). The results of confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the favorable fit of the identified factors (CFI=0.96 and RMSEA=0.07). Accordingly, internal factors (motivation and self-efficacy) play a stronger role than external factors (education) in shaping a positive attitude towards self-employment. Therefore, it is recommended that policymakers and educational planners in universities create workshops to enhance self-efficacy and creativity, simulate businesses, and remove financial barriers through connections with accelerators and provision of facilities.