How Entrepreneurship Education Shapes Startup Motivation Among University Female Students: The Conditional Indirect Role of Entrepreneurial Identity and Social Support

Entrepreneurship education is a key driver of entrepreneurial activity. This study empirically examines the mixed evidence regarding how entrepreneurship education experiences motivate start-up intentions among female university students through the lenses of identity theory and the social support perspective. Specifically, it investigates whether entrepreneurial identity mediates the relationship between perceived entrepreneurship education experience and start-up motivation. Survey data were collected from 412 female students enrolled at public universities in Saudi Arabia. The findings revealed that a large proportion of participants had received some form of entrepreneurship-related instruction. The results further demonstrate that entrepreneurship education positively influences start-up motivation both directly and indirectly by fostering entrepreneurial identity (EI). Moreover, social support strengthens the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial identity, resulting in a significant conditional indirect effect on start-up motivation. These findings suggest that entrepreneurship education is most effective when it cultivates entrepreneurial identity within supportive social environments, thereby enhancing female students’ motivation to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Understanding these relationships is particularly important for female university students, who often encounter greater social, institutional, and resource-related barriers to entrepreneurial participation and venture creation.