Self-efficacy and motivational determinants of entrepreneurial ambition: evidence from Guangxi’s final-year undergraduates using PLS-SEM

Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 552 final-year undergraduates from five universities in Guangxi, China, this study examines how intrinsic, extrinsic, and achievement motivation shape entrepreneurial intention via self-efficacy. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling, we test direct and mediated paths among the three motivational factors, self-efficacy, and intention. Results show that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation have significant direct effects on entrepreneurial intention, whereas achievement motivation influences intention only indirectly through self-efficacy. Self-efficacy fully mediates the impact of achievement motivation and partially mediates the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, highlighting its central role in translating motivational drivers into entrepreneurial intent. By situating the analysis in a non-Western, vocational-education context, the study offers actionable guidance for entrepreneurship education that prioritizes confidence-building interventions to strengthen students’ intentions.