Title: Enhancing entrepreneurial intentions through higher education: lessons from Indonesia's entrepreneurship curriculum

Authors: Lydiawati Soelaiman; Keni Keni; Ida Puspitowati

Addresses: Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, 11440, Indonesia ' Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, 11440, Indonesia ' Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, 11440, Indonesia

Abstract: The Indonesian Government has sought to improve its national entrepreneurship ratio by collaborating with higher education institutions. This study investigates the impact of Indonesia's Freedom to Learn-Independent Campus (MBKM) focusing on the mediating roles of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial culture. As a policy-driven initiative grounded in experiential learning, MBKM addresses a critical gap in the literature on how government led curricula shape entrepreneurial intention through psychological and socio-cultural mechanisms in developing countries. Data were collected from 537 students across multiple universities in Indonesia and analysed using PLS-SEM. Findings reveal that entrepreneurial education significantly enhances both self-efficacy and entrepreneurial culture, which in turn mediate the effect of education on entrepreneurial intention. This study contributes to the literature by integrating cognitive and cultural dimensions within a policy context, offering a dual-pathway explanation for how entrepreneurship education fosters entrepreneurial behaviour. The results provide actionable insights for policymakers and universities aiming to improve MBKM's effectiveness.

Keywords: entrepreneurial education; entrepreneurial self-efficacy; entrepreneurial culture; entrepreneurial intention; MBKM-based curriculum; Indonesia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLC.2025.152771

International Journal of Learning and Change, 2025 Vol.17 No.5, pp.466 - 487

Received: 17 Oct 2024
Accepted: 16 Sep 2025
Published online: 10 Apr 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article