Robby Wijaya, Siti Salina Mustakim, Eddy Sutadji, Isnandar, Widiyanti
This study examines the factors influencing entrepreneurial competency (EC) among students in vocational higher education, with a focus on entrepreneurial mindset (EM), entrepreneurial experience (EE), and business coaching (BC). It also explores the moderating role of BC in these relationships. Using a quantitative explanatory approach, data were collected from 312 students enrolled in vocational programs at the university level. The findings indicate that EE has the strongest influence on EC, followed by EM and BC. While BC contributes directly to EC development, its moderating effect varies. It strengthens the relationship between EE and EC but shows limited impact when paired with EM alone, especially in learning environments with reduced direct interaction. These results underscore the importance of combining experience-based learning with structured coaching that is responsive to students' backgrounds. The study contributes to the theoretical discourse on competency development by integrating perspectives from Student Involvement Theory and Connectionism. Practically, it recommends integrating adaptive coaching into experiential learning modules in entrepreneurship curricula. Future research should investigate additional moderating factors, such as digital learning engagement and industry exposure, to further enhance the effectiveness of coaching in entrepreneurship education. © 2025, Southeast Asian Association for Institutional Research. All rights reserved.
Postgraduate School, Malang State University, Malang, Indonesia; Faculty of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia, Sri Serdang, Malaysia
