How to drive sustainable entrepreneurial intentions: Unraveling the nexus of entrepreneurship education ecosystem, attitude and orientation

Abstract

While the nexus of the entrepreneurial education (EE) framework shapes education policies and promotes entrepreneurial opportunities to achieve global sustainable development goals, studies on the potential mechanisms by which the ecosystem dimension of entrepreneurial education (EEE) influences entrepreneurial behavior are still scarce. To address these lacunae, this research study investigates the interaction between EEE elements (institutional environment, course curriculum, and academic incubators) and sustainable entrepreneurial intention (SEI) and in addition, examines the role of attitude towards sustainability (ATS) as a mediator from the resource dependence perspective, deploying the theories of planned behavior and social cognitive career. Furthermore, we examine the moderating role of sustainable entrepreneurial orientation (SEO) in the relationship between ATS and SEI. We developed and tested a model on a sample of 402 university and academic institution students with diverse academic backgrounds using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results indicate that ecosystem elements of EE and attitudinal attributes are crucial factors in promoting SEI. The indirect impact of EEE involves fostering ATS, which in turn augment SEI. The results also reveal that SEO is a moderator that shapes attitudes and career intentions towards sustainable entrepreneurship. In sum, the present empirical study sheds light on the pathway to build sustainable entrepreneurial careers through analyzing the ecosystem framework of entrepreneurship education. Implications, limitations, and future research avenues are discussed in detail.