Learning and Creativity in Virtual Communities: Nurturing Entrepreneurial Intentions of Muslim Women

Abstract

In terms of information availability, talent acquisition and entrepreneurial education, female prospective entrepreneurs encounter several hurdles and inadequacies. This study investigates how social media learning might improve entrepreneurial learning and creativity among female learners. In summary, this article examines the impact of two critical activities in social media communities (knowledge sharing and social interaction) on entrepreneurial learning and creativity, which might develop entrepreneurial ambitions among Muslim female learners. The data were collected from 253 university and college female students who used social media for entrepreneurial learning. The structural equation modelling technique was used on 233 functional responses in the study. The study instrument’s reliability and validity were also evaluated through different statistical measures before hypotheses testing. The study findings exposed that both knowledge sharing and social interactivity influenced entrepreneurial learning and creativity separately. The study also revealed that entrepreneurial learning and creativity further influenced entrepreneurial intentions. This research reveals female learners’ entrepreneurship intentions, which can be advanced using social media learning in a developing region. The primary theoretical research contribution is the identification of essential activities in virtual entrepreneurial communities, which can enhance the learning and creativity of young female learners. However, further studies need to be carried out in other developing regions among other marginalized groups to generalize these findings. Both teaching faculties and policymakers should make effective use of social media for imparting entrepreneurial education among students, which would further lead to entrepreneurial intentions among them. The researchers argue that there is an imperative need to promote female entrepreneurship intentions, especially among Muslim women, to make them self-reliant and self-employed. This makes it essential to promote entrepreneurial learning and creativity among them, which are significant factors to foster entrepreneurial intentions. Thus, this study has provided an effective and cost-efficient manner of imparting entrepreneurial education to female learners aspiring to become entrepreneurs.