The Role of Perceived University Support in the Formation of Undergraduate Agriculture Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions: Comparing Bu-Ali Sina and Samangan Universities

In order to understand better entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors, we need to consider environmental factors, however, less attention has been paid to the effect of these factors on the individual behavior in the literature. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived university support and students’ entrepreneurial intentions in tow Persian-speaking countries namely Iran and Afghanistan. The study's population included 1250 undergraduate agriculture students at Bu-Ali Sina University (N=650) and Samangan University in Afghanistan (N=600) in 2019 academic year, which 452 of them were selected using Bartlet’s table and proportional stratified random sampling. Study data were collected through a standardized questionnaire. Validity of the questionnaire was approved based on the opinions of faculty members at Bu-Ali Sina University. The reliability of the research instrument was determined using Cronbach's alpha coefficients (in the range of 0.81 to 0.92). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and the partial least square (PLS) method. The results indicate that along with positive attitude and perceived behavioral control that are directly related to entrepreneurial intentions, university support also has an indirect but significant impact on shaping of entrepreneurial intention among students. The relative importance of the motivational factors (attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control) and its antecedent (university support) appears to be broadly similar in the two countries and add support to the applicability of the TPB model in predicting entrepreneurial intentions in non-western countries.