FROM ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE TO ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION: THE SEQUENTIAL MEDIATING ROLES OF RESEARCH COMPETENCE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN GHANA

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the influence of entrepreneurial culture and research competence on the entrepreneurial mindset and intention of university students in Ghana. The study was guided by entrepreneurship education and social cognitive theories. The study hypothesized that entrepreneurial culture directly influenced entrepreneurial mindset and intention while research competence directly predicted entrepreneurial mindset and partially mediated the relationship between entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurial intention. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted and 251 respondents selected from five universities in Ghana through proportional random sampling participated in the study. Data analysis was performed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results revealed that entrepreneurial culture directly and positively predicted research competence, entrepreneurial mindset, and entrepreneurial intention. Research competence directly and positively predicted entrepreneurial mindset and intention. The study concludes that there is a need to promote entrepreneurial learning environments and research competence amongst Ghanaian university students to improve entrepreneurial outcomes. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on entrepreneurship education and provides implications for policy and practice in Ghana and other third-world countries with similar challenges.