Aesthetic experience, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intentions in Guangxi entrepreneurship education

Abstract This study examined the association between aesthetic experience (AE) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) among final-year undergraduates in Guangxi Province, China, with self-efficacy operationalised through the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSES) as a hypothesised mediator. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory, Emotional Intelligence Theory, the Componential Theory of Creativity, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study integrates these frameworks into a single explanatory chain in which AE is positively associated with NGSES, which in turn is positively associated with EI. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 550 final-year undergraduates across three universities in Guangxi, and the data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). AE was significantly and positively associated with EI ( β = 0.175, p < 0.001) and with NGSES ( β = 0.505, p < 0.001), and NGSES predicted EI ( β = 0.578, p < 0.001). NGSES partially mediated the AE–EI association (indirect β = 0.292, p < 0.001). The understanding and cultural dimensions emerged as the strongest first-order indicators of AE. The model accounted for 46.7% of the variance in EI. Because the data are cross-sectional, all reported relationships are statistical associations rather than causal effects. The study contributes a culturally adapted, second-order specification of AE for ethnic-minority Chinese contexts and offers operational curriculum templates for Guangxi-type settings.