Factorial Invariance of the Entrepreneurial Intentions Scale Among Colombian and Ecuadorian University Students

Entrepreneurial intention is a key antecedent of entrepreneurial behavior and an essential construct for understanding the educational and occupational trajectories of university students. In comparative research, its assessment requires psychometrically equivalent instruments to ensure valid cross-national comparisons. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric equivalence of the Entrepreneurial Intentions Scale among Colombian and Ecuadorian university students. A quantitative, instrumental, and cross-sectional design was employed with a sample of 803 students, including 319 Colombians and 484 Ecuadorians. Participants completed the six-item Entrepreneurial Intentions Scale using a seven-point Likert response format. Descriptive analyses, confirmatory factor analysis, configural, metric, and scalar invariance testing, latent mean comparisons, and reliability analyses using McDonald’s Omega and Cronbach’s Alpha were conducted. The results supported a unidimensional structure in both samples, with positive and statistically significant factor loadings. Invariance analyses demonstrated adequate model fit, confirming configural, metric, and scalar equivalence across countries. Latent mean comparisons revealed no statistically significant differences between Colombian and Ecuadorian students. Furthermore, the scale exhibited high internal consistency in both groups. These findings demonstrate that the Entrepreneurial Intentions Scale is a valid, reliable, and measurement-invariant instrument for cross-national research involving Latin American university students.