The Influence of Entrepreneurial Education and Psychological Capital on Entrepreneurial Behavior Among College Students.

Jun Cui

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.755479

Abstract

This research investigated the influence of entrepreneurial education (EE) on entrepreneurial behavior (EB) through psychological capital (PC). A cross-section survey data of 1,405 college students in China were used to test the proposed hypothesis based on human capital theory and PC literature. The research found that EE had direct effects on EB and on all four sub-constructs (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) of PC, and that only self-efficacy positively correlated with EB and mediated the relationship between EE and EB while the other three components of PC did not. These findings contribute to the understanding of both educational and psychological effects on EB. The study also has practical implications for policymakers, managers, and educators in entrepreneurial education.

Highlights

Various countries are vigorously promoting entrepreneurship strategies because entrepreneurship is a critical way to accelerate innovation, increase economic growth, reduce the unemployment rate, and keep social stability (Ho et al, 2018)
To understand the role of psychological capital, we investigate the relationships between entrepreneurial education, psychological capital, and entrepreneurial behavior (H2 and H3), as well as the mediating role of psychological capital (H4)
The validity was examined by the average variance extracted (AVE)

Summary

Introduction

Various countries are vigorously promoting entrepreneurship strategies because entrepreneurship is a critical way to accelerate innovation, increase economic growth, reduce the unemployment rate, and keep social stability (Ho et al, 2018). Understanding the drivers of EB is important as it can help to improve the effectiveness of entrepreneurial and educational initiatives In literature, both external factors and internal factors influence entrepreneurial action and behavior (Franke and Lüthje, 2004). Both external factors and internal factors influence entrepreneurial action and behavior (Franke and Lüthje, 2004) The former includes macro-environmental factors, such as the policy and ecosystem of economic development in a nation, and meso-environmental factors, such as education, experience, and family background. The latter always refers to micro-individual factors including entrepreneurial intention (EI)

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Discussion

Conclusion