How does it fear? Exploring the role of emotion and cognition in the entrepreneurship education-entrepreneurial intention link

ABSTRACT

Through the lenses of Entrepreneurial Event Theory and the Affective Processing Principle, this study aims to explore the interplay between cognition and emotion in the entrepreneurship education-entrepreneurial intention link, exploring the specific role of fear, conceptualized as a negative, avoidance-oriented, emotion. A moderation- mediation empirical model was tested on a sample of Italian University students. The results of the study discovered significant interactions. Fear decreases all the direct and mediating relations, suggesting that an assessment of the importance of emotions in the students’ learning and decision-making processes is a vital issue that entrepreneurship scholars are advised to take into account to foster the formation of intentional behavior. Theoretical advancements and implications for academics, professors, and students will be finally discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Entrepreneurial intention
• entrepreneurship education
• fear
• emotions
• cognitive theory
• student entrepreneurship

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.