Mediating role of entrepreneurial intention on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and employability: a study on university students from a developing country

Figures & data

Figure 1. Conceptual framework.

Table 1. Comparative demographics between the population and sample.

No. of university students in Bangladesh (2022)	Populations		Sample
Male	644213	62.52%	196	49.4%
Female	386273	37.48%	201	50.6%
Total	1030486	100%	397	100%

Source: Bureau (2023).

Table 2. Demographic Information (n = 397).

Construct	Items	Percentage
Gender	Female	51.1%
	Male	49.4%
Age (years)	18–20	0.8%
	20–24	51.1%
	25–28	45.6%
	Above 28	2.5%
Types of university	Public University	75.3%
	Private University	24.7%
Educational qualification	Graduate	55.9%
	Postgraduate	42.8%
	PhD	1.3%
Employment status	Employed	3.5%
	Unemployed	83.5
	Self-employed	13.1

Table 3. Technical specifications of the study.

Technical specifications	Value
Sample size	397
Sampling method	Convenience sampling
Data collection method	Online survey
Data analysis method	EFA, CFA, SEM
Software used	SPSS, AMOS

Figure 2. Measurement model.

Table 4. Validity and reliability.

Construct	CR	AVE	MSV	MaxR(H)	EUC	ES	EKN	EM	EC	EI	VIF
EUC	0.935	0.827	0.046	0.938	0.909						1.057
ES	0.963	0.839	0.074	0.965	0.108*	0.916					1.105
EKN	0.958	0.821	0.051	0.964	0.100*	0.210***	0.906				1.079
EMP	0.956	0.814	0.081	0.958	0.179***	0.237***	0.224***	0.902
EC	0.953	0.801	0.035	0.953	0.147**	0.126*	0.098*	0.188***	0.895		1.045
EI	0.949	0.787	0.088	0.949	0.206***	0.280***	0.225***	0.296***	0.172**	0.887	1.152

Model fit indices: X²/df = 1.570, GFI=.912, AGFI = 0.894, CFI = 0.984, TLI=.982, IFI = 0.984, NFI = 0.957, SRMR= 0.034, RMSEA = 0.038, PClose= 1.00.

***, **, * significance at the 1%, 5% and 10% levels respectively.

Table 5. Standardized regression weights.

Variable	Items	Estimate	S.E	t-value	Cronbach’s Alpha
EUC	EUC2	.934			0.934
	EUC4	.885	0.031	27.797
	EUC5	.909	0.03	29.524
EC	EC1	.884	0.035	26.405	0.953
	EC2	.906	0.035	28.028
	EC3	.896
	EC4	.900	0.035	27.602
	EC5	.889	0.034	26.816
EKN	EKN1	.854	0.028	27.701	0.957
	EKN2	.884	0.028	30.675
	EKN3	.910	0.024	33.792
	EKN4	.948
	EKN5	.925	0.027	35.961
ES	ES1	.932	0.033	31.652	0.963
	ES2	.937	0.035	32.177
	ES3	.904
	ES4	.919	0.035	30.36
	ES5	.887	0.035	27.645
EI	EI1	.898	0.04	26.219	0.949
	EI2	.886	0.039	25.477
	EI3	.881
	EI4	.875	0.039	24.798
	EI5	.901	0.040	26.460
EM	EM1	.883	0.032	27.429	0.956
	EM2	.909
	EM3	.927	0.032	31.308
	EM4	.908	0.033	29.539
	EM5	.883	0.032	27.472

Figure 3. Structural equation model.

Table 6. Summary of the SEM results.

Hypotheses	Estimates	S.E	t-value	P-value	Decision
H1	0.133	0.04	3.305	0.001	Accept
H2	0.091	0.046	1.998	0.046	Accept
H3	0.095	0.045	2.106	0.035	Accept
H4	0.120	0.051	2.342	0.019	Accept
H5	0.121	0.038	3.23	0.001	Accept
H6	0.119	0.043	2.799	0.005	Accept
H7	0.185	0.043	4.257	0.001	Accept
H8	0.136	0.05	2.746	0.006	Accept
H9	0.201	0.06	3.323	0.001	Accept

X²/df. = 1.648, AGFI = 0.887, GFI =.905, CFI = .981, TLI = .979, IFI = .981, RMSEA = 0.040, Pclose = 0 .997.

Table 7. Mediating effects.

	Variables	Estimate	Bootstrapping
			Bias-corrected
			95% CI
	Indirect effect		Lower	Upper	p-Value
A	EUC—>EI—>EM	0.056	0.023	0.109	0.000	Accept
B	EC—>EI—>EM	0.047	0.015	0.098	0.000	Accept
C	EKN—>EI—>EM	0.058	0.025	0.114	0.000	Accept
D	ES—>EI—>EM	0.068	0.032	0.127	0.000	Accept

Table

“Variable”	Items
Entrepreneurial university climate	EUC2 I meet many people at my university with great ideas for starting new businesses.
	EUC4 There are workshops or training sessions available for students interested in developing entrepreneurial skills.
	EUC5 My university provides strong support for entrepreneurial initiatives e.g. funding, mentorship, and resources.
Entrepreneurial curricula	EC1 The curriculum includes courses that specifically focus on entrepreneurship.
	EC2 As a result of taking those courses, I feel I have a better understanding about business.
	EC3 Course material relevant to real-world business situations.
	EC4 Teacher or instructor effectively connected those courses to real-world applications.
	EC5 In my syllabus, there are more practical knowledge to solve specific problems.
Entrepreneurial knowledge	EKN1 EE helps me acquire knowledge about insights into enterprises.
	EKN2 EE aids in the development of my competencies.
	EKN3 EE helps me to make product innovations that are of interest to consume.
	EKN4 EE assists me in the development of ideas.
	EKN5 The knowledge provided in entrepreneurship courses helps to open up business opportunities.
Entrepreneurial skills	ES1 EE program improves my ability to gain practical management skills for starting a business.
	ES2 EE program enhances my capacity to recognize opportunities.
	ES3 EE program helps me in identifying problems, applying problem-solving techniques, and implementing solutions.
	ES4 EE program boosts my capacity to build networks.
	ES5 EE program helps me in organizing resources & team building.
Entrepreneurial intention	EI1 I am willing to do whatever it takes to become an entrepreneur.
	EI2 I am determined to start a business.
	EI3 I want to be my own boss.’
	EI4 I have given serious consideration to launching my own business after finishing my studies.
	EI5 I aspire to be an entrepreneur as my professional goal.
Employability	EM1 I have the skills and abilities that employers seek.
	EM2 I believe I can secure any job as long as my skills and experience are reasonably applicable.
	EM3 I am confident of getting employment in my discipline area.
	EM4 I possess the capability to independently learn and acquire new knowledge, skills, and technologies.
	EM5 I have the ability to acknowledge the necessity for lifelong learning and to develop or acquire the capacity to engage in it.

Bureau. (2023). B. Bangladesh Education Statistics 2022. https://banbeis.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/banbeis.portal.gov.bd/page/6d10c6e9_d26c_4b9b_9c7f_770f9c68df7c/Bangladesh%20Education%20Statistics%202022%20%281%29_compressed.pdf

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Data availability statement

The corresponding author will provide the data upon request.