Title: Closing the Gap between Intention and Action: How Experiential Incubators and Mentor Engagement Activate Student Venture Creation
Authors: Emmanuel Yusuf Attah & Ifeanyichukwu Ojeka Ukonu
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Pages: 147-158
Publication Date: 2026/07/28
Abstract:
This study examines how higher education students translate entrepreneurial intentions into actual venture creation, addressing the persistent intention-behavior gap in entrepreneurship education. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and Experiential Learning Theory, the study investigates the moderating roles of experiential campus incubator participation and faculty mentor engagement in strengthening the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and nascent venture creation behavior. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was adopted. Quantitative data were collected through a two-wave lagged survey of 384 students from five universities and analyzed using structural equation modeling and moderated moderation analysis. To enrich and explain the quantitative findings, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with student entrepreneurs. The findings reveal that entrepreneurial intention alone has a limited effect on subsequent venture creation behavior. However, participation in experiential campus incubators and strong faculty mentor engagement significantly enhance the likelihood that entrepreneurial intentions will be translated into entrepreneurial action. Incubator participation provides practical learning opportunities and access to startup resources, while mentor engagement offers psychological support, guidance, and valuable professional networks. Together, these structural and relational mechanisms substantially reduce the intention-behavior gap. The study extends entrepreneurship education research by demonstrating that entrepreneurial action depends not only on students' intentions but also on supportive educational ecosystems, offering practical implications for curriculum design, university incubation programs, and entrepreneurship policy.