The impact of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial mindset of college students in China: The mediating role of inspiration and the role of educational attributes

Abstract Using a mediating model, this article highlights entrepreneurial mindset (EM) as a novel impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) and addresses the scarcity of research on the relationship between EE and EM. Based on 1428 valid samples from higher education students in China, the results revealed that the impact of EE on EM is complex. EE significantly enhanced students' entrepreneurial inspiration, which, in turn, promoted formation of students’ EM. Entrepreneurial inspiration also mediated the impact of EE on EM at a significant level. In addition, the role of educational attributes, including the type of learning experience, type of course, and type of activity were highlighted. Finally, the direct effect of extracurricular activity was found to be significantly positive whilst that of curriculum attendance was significantly negative. Our findings contribute to theories of both EE and EM and particularly to the understanding of not only whether, but also how EE affects EM in higher education settings. The findings of this research can help to inform the future design and assessment of EE programs.