Fei Wang, Sheerad Sahid, Radin Siti Aishah Radin A Rahman, Zhenyu Li, Jingqiu Wang
In response to China's increasingly competitive employment landscape, entrepreneurship has become an essential career alternative for vocational college students. Given the high risks and failure rates associated with entrepreneurial ventures, it is crucial to understand the factors that influence students' entrepreneurial behavior. This study investigates the roles of self-efficacy, entrepreneurship education, and creative thinking as key drivers of entrepreneurial behavior, with entrepreneurial mindset serving as a mediating variable. Furthermore, the moderating effects of social media and social network on the relationship between entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial behavior are examined. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), data were analyzed from 589 valid responses collected across six vocational colleges in Shandong Province, China. The results demonstrate that entrepreneurial mindset significantly mediates the effects of self-efficacy, entrepreneurship education, and creative thinking on entrepreneurial behavior. Additionally, both social media and social network significantly moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial behavior. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by validating a comprehensive model of entrepreneurial behavior and offers practical implications for educators, policymakers, and future researchers. © 2025 The Authors
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia; Shandong Institute of Commerce & Technology, Jinan, China; Faculty of Economic & Business, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
