Title: Entrepreneurial Intention Among University Students in Uzbekistan: Determinants, Barriers, and Implications for Management Education
Authors: Komilova Bahora Sobir qizi
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Pages: 314-319
Publication Date: 2026/07/28
Abstract:
Entrepreneurial intention - the deliberate cognitive orientation toward establishing a new venture - is considered a proximal predictor of entrepreneurial behaviour and a key intermediate outcome of entrepreneurship education programmes. Despite Uzbekistan's national strategic emphasis on small and medium enterprise development and youth entrepreneurship, the determinants of entrepreneurial intention among Uzbekistani university students remain insufficiently studied. This conceptual article reviews the principal theoretical frameworks applied to entrepreneurial intention research - the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991), the Entrepreneurial Event Model (Shapero & Sokol, 1982), and the Individual-Opportunity Nexus (Shane & Venkataraman, 2000) - and evaluates their applicability to the Uzbekistani higher education context. Four determinant categories are examined: individual factors (self-efficacy, risk tolerance, prior exposure to entrepreneurship), educational factors (entrepreneurship curriculum quality and pedagogy), contextual factors (institutional support, family attitudes, and peer networks), and structural factors (access to finance, regulatory environment). Based on this analysis, a preliminary conceptual model - the IDEA Framework (Intention Determinants in Emerging-Economy Academia) - is proposed. The article concludes with recommendations for curriculum designers, university managers, and policymakers seeking to strengthen entrepreneurial orientation among Uzbekistan graduates.