A Critical Comparison of Factors Affecting Science and Technology Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention: A Tale of Two Genders

Abstract

This study assesses the influence of gender differences in the formation of entrepreneurial intention. Specifically, we investigate how culture and gender influence factors responsible for entrepreneurial intention development. A sample of 414 science and technology students from the world’s fourth most prominent entrepreneurial university completed surveys. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data. Results show that the influence of social learning on entrepreneurial intention was mediated both by personality traits and entrepreneurial knowledge, whereas the effect of university-level determinants on entrepreneurial intention was mediated only through entrepreneurial knowledge. Strong support for the moderating role of gender was found.