Beyond Entrepreneurship Education: Unpacking the Psychological Pathways to Entrepreneurial Intention

Hidayatul Arief (Universitas Jambi)
Muazza Muazza (Universitas Jambi)
Urip Sulistiyo (Universitas Jambi)
Siti Syuhada (Universitas Jambi)
Zenvi Ann M. Macalinao (College of Teacher Education, President Ramon Magsaysay State University Philippines)

JURNAL EKONOMI PENDIDIKAN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026)

Objective: Entrepreneurship education is widely regarded as an important factor associated with students’ entrepreneurial intention; however, the specific cognitive and dispositional dimensions underlying this relationship remain insufficiently understood. This study examines the association between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention and investigates whether four dimensions of entrepreneurial mindset—alertness to opportunity, risk propensity, ambiguity tolerance, and dispositional optimism—mediate this association. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2,696 senior university students at the University of Jambi, Indonesia, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), with bootstrapping used to assess the significance of direct and indirect relationships. Results: Entrepreneurship education showed a positive and significant association with entrepreneurial intention and with all four dimensions of entrepreneurial mindset. Alertness to opportunity, risk propensity, and ambiguity tolerance were positively associated with entrepreneurial intention and showed significant indirect associations between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention. Among the four dimensions, alertness to opportunity showed the largest indirect association. In contrast, dispositional optimism was not significantly associated with entrepreneurial intention and did not show a significant indirect association. Novelty: This study advances entrepreneurship education research by conceptualizing entrepreneurial mindset as a multidimensional construct rather than a homogeneous psychological construct. By examining its specific dimensions simultaneously, the study provides a more differentiated understanding of how cognitive and dispositional characteristics are associated with the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention.