Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention: a serial mediation model of entrepreneurial motivation and self-efficacy

In this AI era, entrepreneurship education (EE) plays a key role in shaping the entrepreneurial intentions (EI) of university students and has become a major area of research. Despite the growing interest, there remains a gap in understanding how entrepreneurial motivation (EM) and self-efficacy (ESE) mediate the relationship between EE and students’ intentions to become successful entrepreneurs. In this view, this study investigated the relationship between EE and EI, along with the serial mediation role of EM and ESE between EE and EI in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The study has collected 245 responses using the purposive sampling technique through structured questionnaires. The structural equation modelling partial least square (PLS-SEM) techniques have been employed to run the analyses using Smart PLS-4 to draw the study findings. The results revealed no direct relationship between EE and EI. On the other hand, findings revealed a significant series of mediation roles for EM and ESE between EE and EI. These findings deepen the understanding of the EE-EI link and are useful for entrepreneurship curriculum developers and policymakers. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in entrepreneurship practically and theoretically.