Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindsets: An Empirical Investigation of Entrepreneurial Intentions Among Pakistani University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v3i4.1936Keywords:
Entrepreneurial intentions, university students, Theory of Planned Behavior, structural equation modelling.Abstract
This study explores the factors shaping entrepreneurial intentions among university students in Pakistan, using a robust conceptual framework built on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The study explores the impact of internal locus of control, entrepreneurial learning, perceived mentoring support, attitudes towards entrepreneurship, social norms, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy on the inclination of students toward entrepreneurship based on survey results of 412 students in the major Pakistani higher education institutions. Based on the results of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) which has been performed using SmartPLS 4.0, it is shown that attitude toward entrepreneurship is the strongest predictor of entrepreneurial intentions (β = 0.423, p < 0.001), followed by entrepreneurial self-efficacy (β = 0.312, p < 0.0001) The research also confirms the mediating effects of attitude and social norms, whereas the entrepreneurial self-efficacy is demonstrated to have significant moderating effects in the crucial relationships. These findings contribute to the body of entrepreneurship literature and have practical implications to educators, policymakers, and entrepreneurship support institutions that are striving to instill an entrepreneurial culture in young people in Pakistan.
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