Promoting strong entrepreneurial intention (EI) among students is essential for nurturing young entrepreneurs. However, the factors influencing EI are often inconsistent, weakening its development. This study explores how entrepreneurship-focused experiential learning prepares the necessary resources to cultivate EI. It examines the role of entrepreneurial identity formation and analyzes the impact of nonentrepreneurial complementary skills.
The research involves 4,189 participants of the National Independent Entrepreneurship Program (Wirausaha Merdeka) in Indonesia. The data analysis and hypothesis testing were conducted using SPSS and Hayes PROCESS Macro Models 4 and 59.
The result of Study 1 confirms the significant role of experiential learning in escalating student entrepreneurial-related skills. The findings of Study 2 further explain how these skills contribute to the development of their EI, highlighting the mediating effect of identity development. Finally, nonentrepreneurial complementary skills, including self-management and leadership skills, partially moderated the mediation model.
The study findings contribute to the knowledge of the young entrepreneurship development model by exploring the comprehensive mechanism of how experiential learning influences entrepreneurial intention. The study highlights that while entrepreneurial resources (ER) (including skills, mindset and attitude) development should be emphasized in entrepreneurial educational programs, other nonentrepreneurial complementary skills should also be considered.
This study employs the resources complementary view of the resource-based view (RBV) theory to construct a comprehensive moderated-mediation model of entrepreneurial intention development. It captures the extensive process of identity development and complementary skills while identifying the essential entrepreneurial resources required to foster a robust entrepreneurial intention.
