Abstract

The study investigated gender differences in entrepreneurial activities of secondary school administrators in public schools of Southern Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was used in this study. The study sample was 369 (213 males and 156 females) administrators of secondary schools (principals), which was 40% of the population of 1339 administrators, using the multi-stage random sampling technique. A 20-item researchers-designed instrument, “involvement of secondary school administrators” in entrepreneurial activities questionnaire (ISSAEAQ)” with Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.78, was used for data collection. The four research questions which guided the study were analyzed through frequency counts, mean scores and percentage counts and the two hypotheses analyzed by t-test and multiple regression analysis. The findings indicated low entrepreneurial activities among the sample, of which agriculture, trading and material supplies are the most favoured entrepreneurial activities. The females engage in more but non-statistically significant entrepreneurial activities than the males. It was concluded that secondary school administrators both male and female in southern Nigeria need to be more involved in entrepreneurial activities. Among the recommendations was that government being the proprietor of public schools should enlighten and practically support school administrators in entrepreneurial activities, as a way of reaching the students for sustainable economic future in Nigeria.

Key words: Entrepreneurial activities, secondary schools, administrator, southern Nigeria.