The Mediating Role of Career Adaptability between Proactive Personality and Entrepreneurial Intention of Agricultural Students

Background: In today's era, characterized by fluctuating job markets and dynamic business environments, personal attributes such as career adaptability and proactive personality will increasingly influence the post-graduation career trajectory of students.In this context, the research literature shows that career adaptability and proactive personality play an undeniable role in the formation of students' entrepreneurial intention, which is considered an important prerequisite for starting a business.Theoretical evidence suggests that their adaptability resources influence entrepreneurial intention among students.Moreover, the development of career adaptability is intricately linked to a proactive personality, which enables individuals to discern opportunities and devise apt solutions amid uncertain environments, as posited by the Career Construction Theory.In this context, empirical exploration into the nexus of a proactive personality, career adaptability, and entrepreneurial intention remains scarce.Hence, this study aimed to examine the mediating influence of career adaptability between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention among agricultural students.By fulfilling this research objective, not only does this study contribute to the depth of literature on entrepreneurial intention, but it also sheds light on the significance of fostering career adaptability among agricultural students.Methods: The research adopted a quantitative approach, employing survey methodology and a cross-sectional time frame for data collection and correlational-causal data processing for analysis.The statistical population comprised fourth-year undergraduate agricultural students enrolled in public universities across Iran.Employing the inverse square root method, a sample of 384 students was selected utilizing a multi-stage sampling technique, wherein two universities were randomly chosen from each of the five regions under the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, amounting to a total of ten universities.Data were gathered from students enrolled in the selected universities.The research utilized questionnaires assessing entrepreneurial intention (6 items), proactive personality (3 items), and career adaptability (12 items), designed on a five-point Likert scale within the native Porsline system and distributed online.The validity of the research instruments was ensured through reviews and confirmation by a panel of agricultural education experts.Additionally, reliability was established via a pilot study and calculation of Cronbach's alpha coefficient ( > 0.7).The measurement model's validity was affirmed through factor loading calculations and assessments of convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability, utilizing Cronbach's alpha coefficient and composite reliability ( and CR > 0.7; AVE > 0.5; HTMT < 0.85).Structural equation modeling, employing the partial least squares approach, was employed for data analysis.The SmartPLS4 software facilitated the data analysis process.Results: The research findings empirically validated the mediating role of career adaptability in the relationship between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention among agricultural students ( = 0.271, t = 5.174, p = 0.001).Notably, the results also indicate a direct influence of proactive personality on the entrepreneurial intention of the surveyed students ( = 0.291, t = 4.077, p = 0.001).Moreover, this positive effect is evident in both pathways: the direct relationship between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention and the relationship mediated by career adaptability.Consequently, the career adaptability variable assumes a complementary mediating role in the relationship between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention among agricultural students.This study highlights the significance of proactive personality and career adaptability as pivotal antecedents shaping the entrepreneurial intention of agricultural students.Thus, agricultural students with a proactive disposition can