Exploring the transition gap - a processual model of contextual influences on students' engagement in entrepreneurial activities

Abstract

This cumulative dissertation explores the contextual factors influencing why students often fail to act on their entrepreneurial intentions, despite taking entrepreneurship courses and developing near market-ready business ideas. While many students develop entrepreneurial aspirations through education, they do not always translate these intentions into real entrepreneurial activities. The study investigates this gap, focusing on why exposure to entrepreneurship education does not consistently lead to entrepreneurial action, particularly within the German context where this discrepancy is notably pronounced. The thesis examines contextual factors on four different levels: the university level, the course level, the team level and the individual level. While results provide insights at each level, the study also sheds light on the interdependencies among these factors, providing a comprehensive understanding of how various factors collectively influence students’ entrepreneurial decision-making.