Determining entrepreneurial knowledge and intentions of international students studying in Turkey

Entrepreneurial knowledge and intention focus on understanding an individual’s interest in and abilities towards entrepreneurial activities. Another issue is the impact of cultural differences on entrepreneurial intention. The purpose of the study is to reveal the impact of entrepreneurship knowledge on entrepreneurial intention of international students receiving higher education in Turkey. We also examine whether there are differences in entrepreneurial knowledge and entrepreneurial intention according to gender, department, having an entrepreneurial business idea, receiving entrepreneurship education or not and monthly expenditure amount. The methodological basis of the study resides in the concept of entrepreneurial knowledge and planned behaviour theory. Among the research methods are frequency and regression analyses, parametric tests, convenience sampling method. A total of 380 students enrolled in 20 public and 5 private universities in Turkey in the 2021–2022 academic year participated in the survey and completed the questionnaire. Participants were reached through electronic and social media environments or face-to-face communication. The research results reveal that there are statistically significant differences between entrepreneurial knowledge and intention with educational status, entrepreneurial idea, department of study and the amount of monthly expenses. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that entrepreneurial knowledge and entrepreneurship education have a significant positive effect on students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The findings of this study provide valuable guidance for policymakers and curriculum preparers to understand international students’ entrepreneurial intentions and promote entrepreneurial intentions in universities.