Explaining entrepreneurial intention of Malaysian public university students: the mediation moderated model

The field of entrepreneurship is increasingly thriving in universities, which aligns with the government's call to provide extensive support and encouragement to individuals seeking to become entrepreneurs. With the availability of digital literacy and ICT access, students have indirectly been exposed to various entrepreneurial knowledge in the virtual world. Therefore, this study aims to identify factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions among Malaysian public university students at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The second objective is to examine the mediation effect of entrepreneurial education and the moderating effect of entrepreneurial attitude. A total of 357 students participated in this study, selected through a systematic sampling method. Data analysis is conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) with IBM SPSS AMOS 29.0 software. The initial findings indicate that financial support, market availability, entrepreneurial education, and entrepreneurial attitude have a significant influence on entrepreneurial intention. Second, the indirect paths of entrepreneurial education and attitude are significant. The results of this study can serve as a reference for responsible parties to strengthen further the entrepreneurial element among students inclined towards entrepreneurship.