Identifying Key Factors Shaping University Students’ Intentions at a University, Yunnan, China
Keywords:
Entrepreneurial Intention, Entrepreneurial Education, Cognitive Component, Perceived Behavior Control, Intervention Design ImplementationAbstract
Purpose: This study focuses on the impact of five independent variables (entrepreneurship education, the cognitive component, perceived behavioral control, entrepreneurial passion, and entrepreneurial attitude) on the dependent variable (entrepreneurial intention). Research design, data, and methodology: This study was tested through a pilot test of 30 students, and the validity was tested using the Item Objective Consistency Index (IOC), and reliability was tested using Cronbach's Alpha. The data came from 80 valid questionnaires of international accounting and finance students in their first year at the International Business School of a university in Yunnan Province, China. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to verify the significant relationship between variables. Subsequently, the IDI was used to conduct the intervention, and the paired sample T-test was used to compare the quantitative results before and after the IDI. Results: Through multiple regression analysis, it was found that entrepreneurship education, the cognitive component, and perceived behavioral control have a significant impact on entrepreneurial intention, while entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial attitude have no significant impact. The results of the paired sample t-test also showed a significant difference in entrepreneurial intention between the post-IDI and pre-IDI stages. Conclusion: Schools should actively build various practical platforms for entrepreneurship and innovation to fully allow students to exercise their relevant skills and abilities.
References
Agarwal, S., Ramadani, V., Gerguri-Rashiti, S., Agrawal, V., & Dixit, J. K. (2020). Inclusivity of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitude among young community: evidence from India. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 14(2), 299-319. https://www.emerald.com/insight/1750-6204.htm
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
Arshad, M., Farooq, O., & Afzal, S. (2018). The role of entrepreneurship education in developing a passion for business. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 38(1), 15-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.21896
Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of personality. In L. A. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 154-196). Guilford Press.
Bardhoshi, G., & Erford, B. T. (2017). Processes and procedures for estimating score reliability and precision. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 50(4), 256-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2017.1388680
Baum, J. R., & Locke, E. A. (2004). The relationship of entrepreneurial traits, skill, and motivation to subsequent venture growth. Journal of applied psychology, 89(4), 587. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0021-9010.89.4.587
Bodnar, L. M., Klebanoff, M. A., Gernand, A. D., Platt, R. W., Parks, W. T., Catov, J. M., & Simhan, H. N. (2014). Maternal vitamin D status and spontaneous preterm birth by placental histology in the US Collaborative Perinatal Project. American Journal of Epidemiology, 179(2), 168-176.
https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwt237
Bolarinwa, O. A. (2015). Principles and methods of validity and reliability testing of questionnaires used in social and health science researches. Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, 22(4), 195-201. https://doi.org/10.4103/1117-1936.173959
Boldureanu, G., Ionescu, A. M., Bercu, A. M., Bedrule-Grigoruță, M. V., & Boldureanu, D. (2020). Entrepreneurship education through successful entrepreneurial models in higher education institutions. Sustainability, 12(3), 1267. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031267
Bosma, N., & Schutjens, V. (2011). Understanding regional variation in entrepreneurial activity and entrepreneurial attitude in Europe. The Annals of regional science, 47(3), 711-742. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-010-0375-7
Boukamcha, F. (2015). Impact of training on entrepreneurial intention: an interactive cognitive perspective. European Business Review, 27(6), 593-616. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr-12-2014-0090
Cardon, M. S., Post, C., & Forster, W. R. (2017). Team entrepreneurial passion: Its emergence and influence in new venture teams. Academy of Management Review, 42(2), 283-305. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2014.0356
Cardon, M. S., Wincent, J., Singh, J., & Drnovsek, M. (2009). The nature and experience of entrepreneurial passion. Academy of management Review, 34(3), 511-532.
https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.40633190
Carsrud, A., & Brännback, M. (2011). Entrepreneurial motivations: what do we still need to know?. Journal of small business management, 49(1), 9-26.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627x.2010.00312.x
Chen, S., Shen, W., Tan, X., & Liu, R. (2022). From entrepreneurial cognition to entrepreneurial intention and behavior: The case of higher educational institutions in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1045050. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1045050
Costa, S. F., Santos, S. C., Wach, D., & Caetano, A. (2018). Recognizing opportunities across campus: The effects of cognitive training and entrepreneurial passion on the business opportunity prototype. Journal of Small Business Management, 56(1), 51-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12348
Ding, G. K. C. (2008). Sustainable construction—The role of environmental assessment tools. Journal of Environmental Management, 86(3), 451-464.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.12.025
Farrukh, M., Alzubi, Y., Shahzad, I. A., Waheed, A., & Kanwal, N. (2018). Entrepreneurial intentions: The role of personality traits in perspective of theory of planned behaviours. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(3), 399-414. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjie-01-2018-0004
Fayolle, A., & Gailly, B. (2015). The impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and intention: Hysteresis and persistence. Journal of Small Business Management, 53(1), 75-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12065
Ferreira-Neto, M. N., Castro, J. L. C., Sousa-Filho, J. M., & Lessa, B. de S. (2023). The role of self-efficacy, entrepreneurial passion, and creativity in developing entrepreneurial intentions. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134618
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (2010). Predicting and changing behavior: The reasoned action approach. Psychology Press.
Gedeon, S. A. (2014). Application of best practices in university entrepreneurship education: Designing a new MBA program. European Journal of Training and Development, 38(3), 231-253. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejtd-05-2013-0058
Haq, S. U., Khan, K. A., Hafeez, H., & Chughtai, M. A. (2022). Trust and knowledge sharing in project teams in construction industry of Pakistan: moderating role of perceived behavioral control. Kybernetes, 52(9), 3729-3757. https://doi.org/10.1108/k-07-2021-0630
Hasani, R., Lechner, M., & Rus, D. (2022). Closed-form continuous-time neural networks. Nature Machine Intelligence, 4, 992-1003. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-022-00513-5
Higgins, D., & Elliott, C. (2011). Learning to make sense: what works in entrepreneurial education?. Journal of European Industrial Training, 35(4), 345-367.
https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591111128324
Hu, R., & Ye, Y. (2017). Do entrepreneurial alertness and self-efficacy predict Chinese sports major students’ entrepreneurial intention? Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 45(7), 1187-1196. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6356
Hubner, S., Baum, M., & Frese, M. (2020). Contagion of entrepreneurial passion: Effects on employee outcomes. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 44(6), 1112-1140. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258719883995
Huyghe, A., Knockaert, M., & Obschonka, M. (2016). Unraveling the "passion orchestra" in academia. Journal of Business Venturing, 31(3), 344-364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2016.03.002
Jena, R. K. (2020). Measuring the impact of business management Student's attitude towards entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intention: A case study. Computers in Human Behavior, 107, 106275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106275
Karimi, Z., Fereidouni, Z., Behnammoghadam, M., Alimohammadi, N., Mousavizadeh, A., Salehi, T., Mirzaee, M. S., & Mirzaee, S. (2020). The lived experience of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in Iran: A phenomenological study. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 13, 1271-1278. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S258785
Katz, J. A., & Gartner, W. B. (1988). Properties of emerging organizations. Academy of Management Review, 13(3), 429-441. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1988.4306967
Kickul, J., Gundry, L. K., Mitra, P., & Berçot, L. (2018). Designing with purpose: Advocating innovation, impact, sustainability, and scale in social entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 1(2), 205-221. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515127418772177
Kusmintarti, A., Asdani, A., & Riwajanti, N. I. (2017). The relationship between creativity, entrepreneurial attitude, and entrepreneurial intention (case study on the students of State Polytechnic Malang). International Journal of Trade and Global Markets, 10(1), 28-36.
https://doi.org/10.1504/ijtgm.2017.082379
Lee, Y., Cortes, A. F., & Joo, M. (2021). Entrepreneurship education and founding passion: the moderating role of entrepreneurial family background. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 743672. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.743672
Li, C., Murad, M., Shahzad, F., Khan, M. A. S., Ashraf, S. F., & Dogbe, C. S. K. (2020). Entrepreneurial passion to entrepreneurial behavior: Role of entrepreneurial alertness, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and proactive personality. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1611.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01611
Li, J., Huang, S. Z., Chau, K. Y., & Yu, L. (2021). The influence of undergraduate entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intention: evidence from universities in Chinas pearl river delta. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 732659.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.732659
Li, J., & Yu, H. (2013). An innovative marketing model based on AIDA: A case from e-bank campus-marketing by China Construction Bank. iBusiness, 5(3), 47-51.
https://doi.org/10.4236/ib.2013.53b010
Liu, L., Zhao, X., Liu, Y., Zhao, H., & Li, F. (2019). Dietary addition of garlic straw improved the intestinal barrier in rabbits. Journal of Animal Science, 97(10), 4248-4255.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skz296
Madden, T. J., Ellen, P. S., & Ajzen, I. (1992). A comparison of the theory of planned behavior and the theory of reasoned action. Personality and social psychology Bulletin, 18(1), 3-9.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167292181001
Mitchell, R. K., Busenitz, L., Lant, T., McDougall, P. P., Morse, E. A., & Smith, J. B. (2002). Toward a theory of entrepreneurial cognition: Rethinking the people side of entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 27(2), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-8520.00001
Mitchell, R. K., Busenitz, L., Lant, T., McDougall, P. P., Morse, E. A., & Smith, J. B. (2004). The distinctive and inclusive domain of entrepreneurial cognition research. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 28(6), 505-518. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2004.00061.x
Nguyen, T. P., Mülich, C., Mohammadin, S., van den Bergh, E., Platts, A. E., Haas, F. B., Rensing, S. A., & Schranz, M. E. (2019). Genome improvement and genetic map construction for Aethionema arabicum, the first divergent branch in the Brassicaceae family. Genes, Genomes and Genomics, 9(11), 3521-3530. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.119.400657
Östlund, U., Kidd, L., Wengström, Y., & Rowa-Dewar, N. (2011). Combining qualitative and quantitative research within mixed method research designs: A methodological review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 48(3), 369-383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.10.005
Packham, G., Jones, P., Pickernell, D., & Miller, C. J. (2010). Attitudes towards entrepreneurship education: A comparative analysis. Education + Training, 52(8/9), 568-586.
https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911011088926
Pihie, Z. A. L., & Bagheri, A. (2010). Entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial efficacy of technical secondary school students. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 62(3), 351-366. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2010.509806
Robinson, P. B., Stimpson, D. V., Huefner, J. C., & Hunt, H. K. (1991). An attitude approach to the prediction of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 15(4), 13-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/104225879101500405
Sekaran, U. (1992). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (7th ed.). Wiley & Sons, West Sussex.
Townsend, D. M., Busenitz, L. W., & Arthurs, J. D. (2010). To start or not to start: Outcome and ability expectations in the decision to start a new venture. Journal of business venturing, 25(2), 192-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.05.003
Turner, R. C., & Carlson, L. (2003). Indexes of Item-Objective Congruence for Multidimensional Items. International Journal of Testing, 3(2), 163-171. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327574IJT0302_5
Vallerand, R. J., Blanchard, C., Mageau, G. A., Koestner, R., Ratelle, C., Léonard, M., & Marsolais, J. (2003). Les passions de l'ame: on obsessive and harmonious passion. Journal of personality and social psychology, 85(4), 756. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.4.756
Vamvaka, V., Stoforos, C., & Botsaris, C. (2020). Attitude toward entrepreneurship, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial intention: Dimensionality, structural relationships, and gender differences. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 9, 5.
Verheul, I., Wennekers, S., Audretsch, D., & Thurik, R. (2002). An eclectic theory of entrepreneurship: policies, institutions and culture. Springer US.
Von Graevenitz, G., Harhoff, D., & Weber, R. (2010). The effects of entrepreneurship education. Journal of Economic behavior & organization, 76(1), 90-112.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2010.02.015
Wadkar, S., Singh, K., Chakravarty, R., & Argade, S. D. (2016). Assessing the reliability of attitude scale by Cronbach's alpha. Journal of Global Communication, 9(2), 113.
https://doi.org/10.5958/0976-2442.2016.00019.7
Wang, J., Murad, M., Cai, L., Shabeeb, A. G., & Sheikh, F. A. (2021). Linking cognitive flexibility to entrepreneurial alertness and entrepreneurial intention among medical students with the moderating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy: A second-order moderated mediation model. PLOS One, 16(9), e0259491. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256420
Wilson, F., Kickul, J., & Marlino, D. (2007). Gender, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial career intentions: Implications for entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 31(3), 387-406. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2007.00179.x
Zhao, H., & Seibert, S. E. (2006). The big five personality dimensions and entrepreneurial status: a meta-analytical review. Journal of applied psychology, 91(2), 259-271. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.2.259
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Zi Xu
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.
