The formation of entrepreneurial behavior among agriculture students in the academic environment: The integration of psychological and behavioral traits

• Attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms had a significant impact on students’ intention. • Risk-taking and opportunity recognition had a significant impact on the students’ intention. • More students realize that their entrepreneurial behaviors are under their control, the more determined they will be to start new businesses. This study aimed to investigate the formation of entrepreneurial behavior among agricultural students in Hamadan County, Iran. The research population was composed of agricultural students (N = 420), and the sample was taken by simple randomization (n = 200). The research instrument was a questionnaire whose reliability was estimated by Cronbach’s alpha in a pilot study. The results of the path analysis revealed that three components of TPB (attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms) and two psychological entrepreneurial characteristics (risk-taking and opportunity recognition) had a significant impact on the students’ intentions. This integration of TPB with psychological traits provides a more comprehensive framework for understanding entrepreneurial behavior, particularly in the context of agricultural education in developing economies. It can be concluded that the more the students realize that their entrepreneurial behaviors are under their control, the more determined they will be to start new businesses. The paper presents some practical recommendations.