Is sustainable entrepreneurship education effective in encouraging sustainable entrepreneurial intentions? The role of university students’ prior experience

This study investigates the role of sustainable entrepreneurship education and the influence of the prior experience in shaping students' sustainable entrepreneurial intentions. Using a structural equation model, we expand on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior and its regular cognitive antecedents (subjective norms, sustainable entrepreneurial attitudes and self-efficacy) by incorporating sustainable awareness and perceived support. Through a survey of 338 management students in Peru, Colombia, and El Salvador, our findings demonstrate that sustainable entrepreneurship education positively influences students' entrepreneurial intentions through its indirect effect on their cognitive antecedents and sustainable awareness. Subjective norms and perceived support also have a positive influence on intentions. Results show that the model operates consistently with some variations depending on prior experience levels. Our results highlight a key gap: the effectiveness of sustainable education in fostering self-efficacy is considerably weaker for students with low prior business experience. Subjective norms lose relevance as experience increases. This underscores the urgent need for tailored educational programs to better address the different developmental needs of students, that bridge the experiential gap through differentiated instructional strategies. • Sustainable education boosts intentions through awareness and self-efficacy. • Education's impact varies significantly based on prior business experience. • Education alone cannot foster self-efficacy in low-experience students. • Subjective norms lose their relevance as entrepreneurial experience grows. • Tailored curricula are essential to bridge the gap for inexperienced students.