Purpose This study examines the relationships between entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, social capital and entrepreneurial intention, while considering the mediating roles of individual entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial attitude. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey questionnaire was administered to 350 graduate students from Iraqi universities in entrepreneurship-related fields. The proposed hypotheses were tested using path analysis within a structural equation modelling framework. Findings The results indicate that entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and social capital are significantly associated with entrepreneurial intention. However, only individual entrepreneurial orientation emerged as a consistent mediator within these relationships, whereas entrepreneurial attitude did not demonstrate a significant mediating effect. These findings suggest that the influence of these antecedents on entrepreneurial intention is conditional on the specific cognitive mechanisms activated within the educational context. Research limitations/implications This study emphasises the essential roles of entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and social capital in shaping and empowering students’ entrepreneurial mindsets, highlighting the need for targeted entrepreneurial programmes at the university level. Originality/value This study refines understanding of entrepreneurial intention within the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework by demonstrating that entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and social capital influence entrepreneurial intention both directly and indirectly through distinct cognitive mechanisms, with individual entrepreneurial orientation emerging as a more consistent mediator than entrepreneurial attitude.
Fayez et al. (Wed,) studied this question.