THE IMPACT OF PROACTIVE PERSONALITY ON ENTREPRENEURIAL BEHAVIOR: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY BASED ON CHINESE HIGHER VOCATIONAL COLLEGES

This study investigates the process and conditions under which a proactive personality influences entrepreneurial behavior among college students. Utilizing scales for proactive personality, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial behavior, a survey was conducted among 987 students from five higher vocational colleges in Jiangxi Province, China. The findings reveal that a proactive personality has a positive and significant impact on entrepreneurial behavior. In the influence of proactive personality on entrepreneurial behavior, entrepreneurial self-efficacy plays a fully mediating role, while entrepreneurial intention partially mediates this relationship. Furthermore, a proactive personality affects entrepreneurial behavior through a chain mediation of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention. This research enriches the theoretical framework of entrepreneurial behavior formation and provides empirical evidence for higher education institutions to develop targeted entrepreneurial education strategies. The results enhance our understanding of the mechanisms through which a proactive personality influences entrepreneurial behavior among college students, offering both theoretical and empirical significance for promoting entrepreneurial behavior in this demographic.