TEACHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP OR ENCOURAGING ENTREPRENEURIAL CAREERS? EVIDENCE FROM TWO EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXTS

Entrepreneurship education among scholars is recognized as an important driver of entrepreneurial intentions. Its development has become a challenging goal of higher education institutions and policymakers seeking to develop entrepreneurial culture, employability, and economic growth. Accordingly, this study explores the relationship between entrepreneurial education (EE) and entrepreneurial intentions (EI) among university students and examines the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE). Grounded on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the study analyzes how entrepreneurship education contributes to students’ entrepreneurial intentions and its effect on students’ confidence in their intention to start a business. A comparative perspective was developed through the analysis of university students in the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Ireland. The results indicate a statistically significant positive direct association between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions in both country contexts. Entrepreneurial education was significantly associated with entrepreneurial self efficacy among university students in North Macedonia. In contrast, no significant direct association between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial intentions was identified in either North Macedonia or Ireland. These results suggest that the role of entrepreneurship education may be indirect and context-dependent.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47743/rebs-2026-1-0003