Inclusive teaching, institutional support, and entrepreneurial intentions: The mediating role of persistence of effort

Purpose: This study investigates how inclusive teaching practices and institutional support influence entrepreneurial intentions among disadvantaged students in technical vocational education and training (TVET), with persistence of effort as a mediating variable. Although persistence of effort is widely acknowledged as critical for both student success and entrepreneurial outcomes, its mediating role in the context of TVET remains underexplored- particularly among marginalized student populations. Approach: Using a simple random sampling technique, data were collected from 393 disadvantaged TVET students who had exposure to inclusive pedagogical practices and institutional support systems. A two-stage structural equation modeling approach was employed using Mplus to test the proposed relationships. The study was conducted in Trinidad and Tobago, a twin-island nation with a long-standing tradition of TVET, established well before the development of more recent educational approaches. Results: The results show that inclusive teaching and institutional support-comprising financial aid, information and communication technology (ICT) access, campus accessibility, and business mentorship-significantly boost students' persistence of effort. This persistence, in turn, strongly predicts entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, persistence of effort was found to mediate the effects of both inclusive teaching and institutional support on entrepreneurial intentions. Conclusion: This study advances theoretical understanding by integrating Tinto's student retention theory with Duckworth's grit framework, offering a dual-lens analysis of how educational environments foster entrepreneurial pathways. Persistence of effort emerges as the underlying psychological mechanism linking institutional and pedagogical supports to entrepreneurial intentions. Beyond content delivery in entrepreneurship education, the results highlight the enabling role of equity-driven practices in cultivating entrepreneurial intent, especially among disadvantaged students. These insights are particularly relevant for TVET institutions globally and for policymakers seeking inclusive strategies to address youth unemployment and inequality. Filling this gap strengthens the evidence base for designing TVET systems that not only enhance employability and resilience but also promote inclusive participation in entrepreneurship as a pathway to sustained economic participation.