Closing the entrepreneurial attitude-intention-behavior gap: the direct and moderating role of entrepreneurship education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt the theory of planned behavior to close the entrepreneurial attitude–intention–behavior gap in the entrepreneurship field as well as test the key moderators of the entrepreneurial process, starting from entrepreneurial attitude and intention to behavior to engage in entrepreneurial activities – namely, entrepreneurship education. Design/methodology/approach The research used a sample of 2,566 students from 16 universities in Vietnam. First, Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis have been used to test the reliability and validity of scales. Then the coefficient paths in the conceptual framework were tested through structural equation modeling, and indirect associations were estimated via the PROCESS bootstrapping approach. Findings The research illustrated that both attitudes toward entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention serve as the central antecedents in the formation of entrepreneurial behavior. Also, when students are more entrepreneurially educated, the linkage between attitude toward entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behavior was hypothesized to become stronger, yet the relation between entrepreneurial intention and behavior was weakened. Practical implications This research suggests useful recommendations for educators and policymakers to encourage university students’ favorable attitudes toward entrepreneurial activities, their intention to engage in them and their subsequent entrepreneurial behavior. Originality/value This research is expected to make a significant contribution to the entrepreneurship literature by closing the entrepreneurial attitude–intention–behavior gap as well as enriching our understanding of the influence of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial process. Importantly, this research reveals that entrepreneurial education significantly moderates the effects of attitude toward entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention on entrepreneurial behavior.