How Entrepreneurship Education Impacts Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Planned Behavior Approach

Research has paid much attention to the determinant role of educational factors and personal factors on entrepreneurial intentions. However, evidence on how entrepreneurship education impacts entrepreneurial intention remains insufficient. To answer this question, drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we propose and test on three mediating effects (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control towards entrepreneurship) through which entrepreneurship education is associated with entrepreneurial intention. Based on a sample of 201 university students in Hong Kong, we find that the positive relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention is significantly mediated by attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control towards entrepreneurship. Contributing to the general literature of entrepreneurship, this study helps us to better understand the mechanism through which one’s entrepreneurship education may enhance his/her entrepreneurial intention.