Digital entrepreneurship education and knowledge as predictors of digital entrepreneurial intention: Evidence from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

Abstract

Malaysia has introduced several policies, such as the Digital Education Policy (2024–2030) and the IPT Entrepreneurship Action Plan (2021–2025), to encourage graduates to start technology-based businesses, but empirical evidence on whether digital entrepreneurship education and knowledge truly shape students' intention to become digital entrepreneurs is still limited, particularly in the Malaysian public university context. This study examines the effect of digital entrepreneurship education (DEE) and digital entrepreneurship knowledge (DEK) on digital entrepreneurial intention (DEI) among students of the Faculty of Management and Economics (FPE), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional design. A total of 346 students from FPE UPSI answered a questionnaire distributed through Google Form. Descriptive analysis was used to identify the level of DEI, DEE, and DEK, while multiple regression analysis, using SPSS version 26, was used to test the effect of DEE and DEK on DEI. The findings show that FPE UPSI students have a high level of DEI (mean = 3.96), DEE (mean = 3.87), and DEK (mean = 3.90). Both DEE (β = 0.441, p < .001) and DEK (β = 0.371, p < .001) significantly and positively affected DEI, together explaining 55.3% of its variance, with DEE the stronger predictor. These findings imply that universities need to move entrepreneurship courses beyond theory by embedding hands-on digital activities, such as e-commerce simulations, digital marketing projects, and mentoring, so that education and knowledge work together to build students' confidence to start a digital business. For policymakers, the findings support strengthening the digital components of national entrepreneurship action plans and curricula, while for students, they point to digital skill building as a practical step toward becoming a digital entrepreneur after graduation.