Exploring the Drivers of Entrepreneurial Intentions and Behaviors Among Higher Vocational Students in Xuzhou, China
Keywords:
Entrepreneurship Education, Perceived Feasibility, Perceived Desirability, Entrepreneurial Intention, Entrepreneurial BehaviorAbstract
Purpose: This study aims to examine the factors that influence entrepreneurial behavior and entrepreneurial intention among higher vocational students in Xuzhou higher education. The conceptual framework proposed a causal relationship among attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, entrepreneurship education, perceived feasibility, perceived desirability, prior entrepreneurial exposure, entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial behavior. Research design, data, and methodology: In this study, a quantitative method (n=500) was used to distribute questionnaires to sophomore to junior students at a higher education institution in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. The study used a quota sampling method to sample classes in each of the three disciplines of engineering, business, humanities, and social sciences in the university, and the convenience sampling method was used to collect data and distribute the questionnaires online and offline. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used for the data analysis, and they included model fit, reliability, and validity of the constructs. Results: First, higher vocational students' entrepreneurial intentions to be entrepreneurs significantly impact their willingness to act as entrepreneurs. Second, attitude, subjective norms, entrepreneurship education, perceived feasibility, perceived desirability, and prior entrepreneurial experience all play a role in entrepreneurial behavior. Conclusions: Seven of the eight hypotheses formulated in this study achieved the research objective: to increase entrepreneurial intentions and promote entrepreneurial behavior among higher vocational students.
References
Ajzen, I. (1987). Attitudes, traits, and actions: Dispositional prediction of behavior in social psychology. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 20, 1-63.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60411-6
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(4), 665-683.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb00236.x
Alkhadim, M., Gidado, K., & Painting, N. (2019). Perceived crowd safety in large space buildings: The confirmatory factor analysis of perceived risk variables. Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management, 9(1), 22-39. https://doi.org/10.2478/jeppm-2019-0004
Al-Mamary, Y. H., & Shamsuddin, A. (2015). Testing of the technology acceptance model in context of Yemen. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4), 268-273. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s1p268
Awang, Z. (2012). Structural equation modeling using AMOS graphic (1st ed.). Penerbit Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Bae, T. J., Qian, S., Miao, C., & Fiet, J. O. (2014). The relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions: A meta-analytic review. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 38(2), 217-254. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12095
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238-246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238
Carter, N. M., Gartner, W. B., Shaver, K. G., & Gatewood, E. J. (1996). Women entrepreneurs who break through to equity financing: The influence of human, social and financial capital. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 21(2), 23-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/104225879602100202
Chen, C., & Tsai, D. (2007). How destination image and evaluative factors affect behavioral intentions? Tourism Management, 28(4), 1115-1122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2006.07.007
Cruz, L. D., Suprapti, S., & Yasa, K. (2015). Application of the theory of planned behavior in generating entrepreneurial intentions for students of the Faculty of Economics Unpaz, Dili Timor Leste. E-Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Udayana, 4(12), 895-920.
Dunn, T., & Holtz-Eakin, D. (2000). Financial capital, human capital, and the transition to self-employment. Journal of Labor Economics, 18(2), 282-305. https://doi.org/10.1086/209959
Fan, W., & Wang, C. M. (2006). Validation factors for the structure of the entrepreneurial intention dimension analysis. Ergonomics, 12(1), 14-16.
Fini, R., Grimaldi, R., Marzocchi, G. L., & Sobrero, M. (2009). The foundation of entrepreneurial intention. Conference proceedings in Summer Conference 2009, 17-19.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312
Guo, H., Mao, Y., Bai, X., & Zeng, Z. (2009). Research on the influence of university entrepreneurship education on students' entrepreneurial intention. Soft Science, 23(9), 69-74.
Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (6th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Hair, J. F., Babin, B., Money, A. H., & Samouel, P. (2003). Essentials of business research methods (1ste d.). Wiley.
Hair, J. F., Harrison, D., & Risher, J. (2018). Marketing research in the 21st century: Opportunities and challenges. Brazilian Journal of Marketing, 17(5), 666-699.
Jiang, N. (2019). Grounded research on factors influencing entrepreneurial behavior based on the theory of planned behavior [Doctoral dissertation]. Harbin Institute of Technology.
Kassean, H., Vanevenhoven, J., Liguori, E., & Winkel, D. E. (2015). Entrepreneurship education: A need for reflection, real-world experience, and action. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 21(5), 690-708. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-07-2014-0123
Killingsworth, B. L., Xue, Y., & Liu, Y. (2016). Factors influencing knowledge sharing among global virtual teams. Team Performance Management, 22(5/6), 284-300.
https://doi.org/10.1108/TPM-09-2015-0044
Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). The Guilford Press.
Krueger, N. (1993). The impact of prior entrepreneurial exposure on perceptions of new venture feasibility. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 18(1), 5-21.
Krueger, N., Michael, D., & Reilly, A. (2000). Competing models of entrepreneurial intentions. Journal of Business Venturing, 15(5-6), 411-432. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(98)00033-0
Krueger, N. F., & Carsrud, A. L. (1993). Entrepreneurial intentions: Applying the theory of planned behavior. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 5(4), 315-330.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08985629300000020
Kusmintarti, A., Thoyib, A., Ashar, K., & Maskie, G. (2014). The relationships among entrepreneurial characteristics, entrepreneurial attitude, and entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Business and Management, 16(6), 25-32.
Lee-Ross, D. (2017). An examination of the entrepreneurial intent of MBA students in Australia using the entrepreneurial intention questionnaire. Journal of Management Development, 36(9), 1180-1190. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-10-2016-0200
Li, Y. Q., Bai, X., Mao, Y., & Zeng, Z. (2008). Analysis of the factors affecting the learning and creation of industry based on the TPB model. Soft Science Studies, 2008(05), 122-128.
Liñán, F. (2005). Development and validation of an entrepreneurial intention questionnaire (EIQ). Internationalizing Entrepreneurship Education and Training Conference, 1-14.
Mair, J., & Marti, I. (2006). Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business, 41(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2005.09.002
Marescha, D., Harms, R., Kailer, N., & Wimmer-Wurm, B. (2016). The impact of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial intention of students in science and engineering versus business studies university programs. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 104, 172-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2015.11.006
McMullen, J. S., & Shepherd, D. A. (2006). Entrepreneurial action and the role of uncertainty in the theory of the entrepreneur. Academy of Management Review, 31(1), 132-152.
https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2006.19379628
Miao, L. (2018). Research on the impact mechanism of entrepreneurship education on college students' entrepreneurial behavior [Doctoral dissertation]. Jiangnan University.
Mitchelmore, S., & Rowley, J. (2010). Entrepreneurial competencies: A literature review and development agenda. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 16(2), 92-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552551011026995
Pedroso, C. B., Da Silva, A. L., & Tate, W. L. (2016). Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP): Insights from a multi-case study of Brazilian Organizations. International Journal of Production Economics, 182, 213-229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.08.035
Peterson, R. A., & Kim, Y. (2013). On the relationship between coefficient alpha and composite reliability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(1), 194-198. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030767
Shapero, A., & Sokol, L. (1982). Social dimensions of entrepreneurship. In C. Kent, D. Sexton, & K. Vesper (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship (pp. 72-90). Prentice-Hall.
Sharma, G. P., Verma, R. C., & Pathare, P. (2005). Mathematical modeling of infrared radiation thin layer drying of onion slices. Journal of Food Engineering, 71(3), 282-286.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2005.02.010
Sica, C., & Ghisi, M. (2007). The Italian versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II: Psychometric properties and discriminant power. In M. A. Lange (Ed.), Leading-edge psychological tests and testing research (pp. 27-50). Nova Science Publishers.
Soper, D. (2006). Calculator: A-priori sample size for structural equation models. Daniel Soper.
https://www.danielsoper.com/statcalc/
Souitaris, V., Zerbinati, S., & Al-Laham, A. (2007). Do entrepreneurship programmes raise entrepreneurial intention of science and engineering students? The effect of learning, inspiration, and resources. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(4), 566-591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2006.05.002
Sumsiripong, P. (2016). The impact of learning organization and competitive advantage on organizational performance in SMEs (Thailand): An empirical study. National Institute of Development Administration.
Swann, W. B., Chang-Schneider, C., & Larsen, M. K. (2007). Do people's self-views matter? Self-concept and self-esteem in everyday life. American Psychologist, 62(2), 84-94.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.2.84
Tan, H., & Su, Y. (2018). An empirical study on entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial behavior of vocational college students. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, 9(6), 7-12.
Thanatchaporn, J. (2021). Key influencers of innovative work behavior in leading Thai property developers. AU-GSB e-Journal, 14(1), 61-70.
Truong, Y., & McColl, R. (2011). Intrinsic motivations, self-esteem, and luxury goods consumption. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 18(6), 555-561.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2011.08.004
Wu, J. H., & Wang, Y. M. (2006). Measuring KMS success: A respecification of the DeLone and McLean’s model. Information and Management, 43(6), 728-739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2006.05.002
Yang, J., & Zhang, Y. L. (2004). Analysis of entrepreneurial behavior process based on entrepreneur resource endowment. Foreign Economics and Management, 4(2), 2-6.
Yuan, D. K. C. C., & Cai, Y. C. (2019). Research on the influencing factors of local university graduate students’ entrepreneurship intentions: Based on the perspective of personal traits. Higher Engineering Education Research, 9(02), 178-182.
Zhang, P., Wang, D. D., & Owen, C. L. (2015). A study of entrepreneurial intention of university students. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 5(1), 61-82. https://doi.org/10.1515/erj-2014-0004
Zhang, Y., Duysters, G., & Cloodt, M. (2014). The role of entrepreneurship education as a predictor of university students’ entrepreneurial intention. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 10, 623-641. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-012-0246-z
Zhou, X., & Hu, Z. F. (2015). The empirical study of factors affecting college students' entrepreneurial intention: Guangzhou cases. Educational Research and Experiment, 5(5), 66-72.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Liu Ying
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The submitting author warrants that the submission is original and that she/he is the author of the submission together with the named co-authors; to the extend the submission incorporates text passages, figures, data, or other material from the work of others, the submitting author has obtained any necessary permission.
Articles in this journal are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY What does this mean?). This is to get more legal certainty about what readers can do with published articles, and thus a wider dissemination and archiving, which in turn makes publishing with this journal more valuable for you, the authors.
