The Causal Relationship of Education with Entrepreneurship Intention: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurship Motivations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the causal relationship of education with entrepreneurship ntention considering the mediating role of entrepreneurship motivations.

The present study was a descriptive-correlational and its statistical population consisted all engineering students of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in the second semester of the academic year 2018-2019. From this population, 328 students were selected by convenience sampling method. The instruments consisted of Suitaris’ Entrepreneurship Education Questionnaire, Taormina & Kinemi-Lao’ Entrepreneurial Motivation Questionnaire, and Linan et al.’ Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM) method and Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach using SPSS-23 and Smart-PLS softwares.

The results showed that entrepreneurial education had a positive and significant relationship with entrepreneurial motivation and entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, entrepreneurial motivation had a positive and significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, the mediating role of entrepreneurial motivation in the relationship of entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial intention was confirmed.

According to the results of this study, entrepreneurship education can be related to entrepreneurial intention, both directly and by creating entrepreneurial motivations; this relationship was greater through entrepreneurial motivations. In other words, if education can improve incentives such as earning money, providing jobs, helping society, proving competencies, inner satisfaction, etc. in people, it will have a greater impact on entrepreneurial intention.