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Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship policy and entrepreneurial competence: mediating effect of entrepreneurship competition in China

Guobiao Li (Institute of China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China)
Zehai Long (Institute of China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China)
Yujia Jiang (Institute of China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China)
Yangjie Huang (Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China)
Peng Wang (Institute of China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China)
Zhaoxin Huang (Institute of China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China) (Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China)

Education + Training

ISSN: 0040-0912

Article publication date: 14 February 2022

Issue publication date: 9 August 2023

1250

Abstract

Purpose

Entrepreneurial competence plays a decisive role in entrepreneurship success. To promote the employment of college students and accelerate economic growth through entrepreneurial activities, the Chinese government and universities encourage the use of multiple inputs to boost holistic entrepreneurship education and training. This study aims to assesses the entrepreneurial competence of college students by analysing the effects of entrepreneurship education and policy implementation in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative approach considered a large sample of 12,269 students, who participated in entrepreneurship education in Chinese “double-first-class” universities, to construct a theoretical model of their entrepreneurial competence. Entrepreneurship competition was introduced as a mediating variable in this model.

Findings

This study revealed that college students develop entrepreneurial competence by participating in entrepreneurship competitions unlike students who participate in regular entrepreneurship education. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the measured impact of entrepreneurship policy between students who participated in entrepreneurship competitions and those who did not.

Originality/value

The effects of the implementation of entrepreneurship education and policy were studied using a quantitative design. Additionally, this study highlights the effect of entrepreneurship competitions with empirical evidence from China, and contributes to the discussion of entrepreneurship education at schools and entrepreneurship policy for policymakers.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Guobiao Li, Zehai Long, Yujia Jiang as co-first authors, and Yangjie Huang, Peng Wang and Zhaoxin Huang as co-corresponding authors.

Funding: This work was completed with the support of the key project of the National Social Science Fund of China “Research on the mechanism of improving the employability and entrepreneurial competence of college students in the Digital Era” (21ASH008).

Citation

Li, G., Long, Z., Jiang, Y., Huang, Y., Wang, P. and Huang, Z. (2023), "Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship policy and entrepreneurial competence: mediating effect of entrepreneurship competition in China", Education + Training, Vol. 65 No. 4, pp. 607-629. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-06-2021-0218

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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