SEM-Based Study on Contributory Factors of Entrepreneurial Intention of Undergraduates in Private Universities in Hainan Province : Empirical Data from the Sanya University

This paper, based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), surveys over 600 undergraduates studying in the Sanya University, the most typical private university in Hainan Province, to figure out main factors influencing entrepreneurial intention of this kind of students studying in private universities in the Province. Entrepreneurship have been considered as key factors for achieving economic development goals by a company, a region, or even a country. Scholars from all over the world studies diversified aspects, including national entrepreneurial environment, the relationship between innovation and socio-economic development and other macro matters, as well as characteristics of entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial motivation, entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial process, teams, performance and intention and other micro problems, of which all result in fruitful achievements. However, the decision to start a business is the result of several interacting factors. Based on summarizing opinions, this paper focuses on studying the relationship among entrepreneurial education, motivation, support environment and intention of undergraduates in private universities. Results show that entrepreneurial education has a distinctively positive impact on entrepreneurial motivation, which significantly positively influences the entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, entrepreneurial support environment surrounding universities plays a positively mediating role between entrepreneurial motivation and intention. Meanwhile, although entrepreneurial education has no striking effect on entrepreneurial intention, the motivation bridges the two. Therefore, private universities should continue improving entrepreneurial education, reinforcing undergraduates’ entrepreneurial motivation, and collaborating with local government, industries and relevant institutions for sound entrepreneurial support environment, in order to underpin the students’ entrepreneurial intention.