The Structural Relationship between Local Entrepreneurship Education and Local Entrepreneurial Intention: The Mediating Effects of Perceived Regional Identity, Perceived Local Brand Value, Perceived Entrepreneurial Opportunity, and Place Attachment

This study examines the structural relationships among local entrepreneurship education, perceived regional identity, perceived local brand value, perceived entrepreneurial opportunity, place attachment, and local entrepreneurial intention.Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, local entrepreneurship education was conceptualized as an educational stimulus, the three region-based cognitive factors and place attachment as cognitive and emotional internal states, and local entrepreneurial intention as an intentional response.Data were collected from 320 prospective entrepreneurs in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, South Korea, who had experience with local entrepreneurship education.The data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping.The results showed that local entrepreneurship education was positively associated with perceived regional identity, perceived local brand value, and perceived entrepreneurial opportunity.These three region-based cognitive factors were also positively associated with place attachment, which was positively related to local entrepreneurial intention.Bootstrap analysis further confirmed significant indirect effects involving the region-based cognitive factors and place attachment.These findings extend entrepreneurship education research by integrating region-based cognitive evaluations and place attachment within the S-O-R framework.The study also provides practical and policy implications for designing place-based entrepreneurship education programs and supporting local entrepreneurship by linking regional resources, entrepreneurial opportunities, and local communities.