Multiculturalism, positive psychological capital and students' entrepreneurial intentions

Abstract

Purpose

Globalisation has made higher education increasingly multicultural. Although multicultural university students' attitudes and interactions with different cultures affect their academic success as well as entrepreneurial intentions, only a few studies have analysed this topic. Therefore, this study examined the assumption that positive psychological capital (PsyCap) mediates the relationship between attitudes towards multiculturalism and entrepreneurial intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A model was proposed and empirically tested 564 university students in Northern Cyprus. Data were analysed using SPSS 23 and AMOS 18 using the PROCESS Macro and Bootstrap methods.

Findings

The results indicated that improving university students' attitudes towards multiculturalism will have a beneficial effect on their entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, PsyCap is a mediator variable on the relationship between multicultural attitudes and entrepreneurial intentions.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the literature by theoretically and empirically examining how attitudes towards multiculturalism and PsyCap impact university students' entrepreneurial intentions. Its limitations can be overcome through future research.

Practical implications

The study's findings are valid in two areas: (1) assisting policymakers, researchers and academics to better understand the critical influence of university students' attitudes towards multiculturalism on their entrepreneurial intentions, particularly since this topic had not been extensively studied; (2) advancing theoretical discussions by examining the positive effects of internal factors such as PsyCap in terms of multicultural attitudes and entrepreneurial intentions.

Social implications

The study provides empirical evidence that academics and university administrators should pay attention to multicultural attitudes to increase university students' entrepreneurial intentions. Hence, it focused on the relationship between multicultural society, entrepreneurial intentions, and PsyCap.

Originality/value

Attitudes towards multiculturalism influence students' entrepreneurial intentions through PsyCap. The context of cultural values and multiculturalism determines the premises of entrepreneurial intentions. This study is unique and innovative as it brings a new focus to academic literature.

Citation

Maslakcı, A., Sesen, H. and Sürücü, L. (2021), "Multiculturalism, positive psychological capital and students' entrepreneurial intentions", Education + Training, Vol. 63 No. 4, pp. 597-612. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-04-2020-0073