Conceptualization of Contextual Factors of Entrepreneurial Intention in the Iranian Higher Education System

Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in promoting economic development and improving the living standards of people in society. Promoting entrepreneurship among university graduates can be highly effective in creating jobs and reducing the problem of unemployment. One of the factors that is strongly associated with predicting entrepreneurial behavior is entrepreneurial intention. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the role of contextual factors in forming the entrepreneurial intention of agricultural students in the Iranian higher education system based on the theory of planned behavior.To this end, the effect of three important contextual variables, namely perceived university support, perceived government support, and perceived environmental support, on students' entrepreneurial intention in the Iranian agricultural higher education system was investigated.The statistical sample of the research included 455 fourth-year undergraduate students in agricultural fields in the Iranian higher education system, who were selected using a multi-stage sampling method from 9 universities in the country.The results of the study showed that the variables of attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and also perceived university support and perceived environmental support had a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial intention of agricultural students in the Iranian higher education system; however, the effect of perceived government support on the entrepreneurial intention of students was not confirmed.The findings of this research have appropriate theoretical and practical implications for helping policymakers, planners, and educators in the Iranian agricultural higher education system to promote entrepreneurship among students.