The interaction between exploratory behaviours and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition by agriculture students: The mediating role of strategic learning and mindfulness

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the interaction between exploratory behaviours and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among agriculture students mediated by strategic learning and mindfulness. The study was conducted on agriculture students of Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamadan, Iran (N = 420). The sample was 200 people taken by the simple randomisation technique. The assessment tool was a standard questionnaire whose face and content validity was confirmed by entrepreneurship experts and its reliability was estimated by conducting a pilot study. The findings showed that exploratory behaviours had a positive and significant effect on entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, mindfulness, and students’ strategic learning. Also, mindfulness influenced entrepreneurial opportunity recognition positively and significantly. However, the effect of strategic learning on entrepreneurial opportunity recognition was insignificant. It can be concluded that exploratory behaviours can influence students’ mindfulness and strategic learning and students’ exploratory behaviours and mindfulness lead to discovering entrepreneurial opportunities.