Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy Mediates the Impact of the Post-pandemic Entrepreneurship Environment on College Students' Entrepreneurial Intention

When and how does the practice environment most benefit the job outcomes of newly graduated nurses?

BACKGROUND

Providing a favourable practice environment has been regarded as an essential to improve the job outcomes of newly graduated nurses (NGNs). However, little is known about how and when NGNs can best utilize their practice environment to produce optimal job outcomes.

AIM

The aim of this study, which is based on the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Social Cognitive Model of Career Self-Management, is to investigate whether NGNs who have a higher level of personal growth initiative are more likely to benefit from their practice environment and achieve better job outcomes by increasing their occupational self-efficacy.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

From 1 September 2022, to 30 September 2022, 279 NGNs from five Chinese state-owned hospitals were recruited for this study. The participants completed measures of practice environment, personal growth initiative, occupational self-efficacy, job stress, job satisfaction, turnover intention and quality of care. A descriptive analysis and a moderated mediation model were computed. Reporting adhered to the STROBE statement.

RESULTS

The influence of the practice environment on job outcomes was significantly mediated by occupational self-efficacy, with personal growth initiative acting as a moderator of this mediation effect.

CONCLUSIONS

NGNs who exhibited a higher degree of personal growth initiative were more likely to derive benefits from their practice environment and attain positive job outcomes by enhancing their occupational self-efficacy. To boost NGNs' occupational self-efficacy and achieve optimal job outcomes, hospital administrators may not only provide a supportive practice environment for them but also conduct interventions that promote their personal growth initiative.

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study was designed to examine the psychosocial factors associated with NGNs' job outcomes. The study was not conducted using suggestions from the patient groups or the public.

IMPACTS

Our findings indicate that favourable practise contexts may not always benefit the nursing job outcome if NGNs do not exhibit a high level of personal growth initiative and produce increased occupational self-efficacy. Therefore, hospital administrators should consider implementing an intervention to improve the personal growth initiative of NGNs so that they can take full advantage of the practice environment and gain resources at work to create optimal job outcomes.

From entrepreneurship education to entrepreneurial intention: Mindset, motivation, and prior exposure

We studied the relationships between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention among college students, with a focus on the mediating role of an entrepreneurial mindset as well as the moderating roles of learning motivation and prior entrepreneurial exposure. More than 90,000 students from 100 colleges or universities participated in the investigation, the data were subjected to structural equation modeling with Mplus. The results indicated that entrepreneurship education (curriculum attendance and extracurricular activity) significantly enhanced the entrepreneurial mindset of students, which, in turn, strengthened their entrepreneurial intention. In terms of learning, intrinsic motivation positively moderated the relationships between curriculum attendance and entrepreneurial intention/mindset, whereas extrinsic motivation moderated it negatively. Entrepreneurial exposure positively moderated the correlation between extracurricular activity and academic performance. Implications concerning the adjustment of entrepreneurship education to the entrepreneurial climate are discussed.

Factors affecting students’ entrepreneurial intentions: a systematic review (2005–2022) for future directions in theory and practice

Entrepreneurship has been viewed as a critical contributor and an economic engine in a country for creating new jobs and it is crucial for graduates to alter their mindset to become self-employed. Thus, it is necessary to synthesize the factors that impact the entrepreneurial intentions (EI) of students at tertiary level. The aim of this research is twofold; first to identify the factors which have been most studied in the literature and second, to determine which factors are less explored to measure the EI of students. This research adopts the systematic review approach to identify various studies conducted between 2005 to June 2022. The paper further adopted citation analysis and identified the 36 most impactful studies in this area of research. Next, the thematic analysis was conducted and seven main themes (factors) (cognitive, personality, environmental, social, educational, contextual and demographic) of EI determinants were identified. The analysis of the papers clearly demonstrated that the TPB model and cognitive factors dominate this area of research. Furthermore, over half of the studies are conducted in Asia, hence it is important to explore other regions such as Africa, America and Europe and other comparative studies between various regions. The study offers avenues for future research and practical implications of the study for the practitioners.

Building Students’ Entrepreneurial Competencies in Chinese Universities: Diverse Learning Environment, Knowledge Transfer, and Entrepreneurship Education

Entrepreneurship education is a critical issue for higher education (HE) students, and thus has been on the agenda of national sustainable development in China. However, few studies have approached the enhancement of HE students’ entrepreneurial competencies in relation to the perspective of their learning environment. This study developed and employed the Theoretical Model of Entrepreneurial Competencies to examine the path of improving HE students’ entrepreneurial competencies. The results reveal that a diverse learning environment is an important external factor in developing HE students’ entrepreneurial competencies. Knowledge transfer, self-efficacy, and cognitive flexibility mediate this relationship. Moreover, entrepreneurship education significantly moderates the effects of self-efficacy on HE students’ entrepreneurial competencies, but it does not play a moderating role between cognitive flexibility and entrepreneurial competencies. This study provides insights for both policy and managerial endeavors in sustainably advancing HE students’ entrepreneurship through an innovative learning environment.

College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention and Alertness in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research aims to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected college students’ entrepreneurial intention (EI), as well as whether the well-studied link between entrepreneurial alertness (EA) and EI is involved. Data were collected from 612 respondents, and using the stepwise regression method we examined the moderating role of college students’ perceived risk of COVID-19 on the connection between EA and EI. The results show that students’ perceived risk of COVID-19 reduces their EI. Furthermore, the perceived risk of COVID-19 attenuates the relationship between EA and EI. Specifically, those who perceived a greater risk tended to show lower EI. This article contributes to a better understanding of how the relationship between EA and EI has changed during the pandemic.

How Stable Are Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context?

The purposed longitudinal study analyzes the evolution of students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions (EI) and its antecedents over the COVID-19 pandemic period and explores the inter-individual differences and the intra-individual changes. Our main contribution consists of proposing two-panel estimations techniques: first, a Latent Change Score model (LCS) approach to analyze the stability of our constructs, and second, a Generalized Least Squares (GLS) Random-Effect estimation of a complex network of relationships that we have identified within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework. Our empirical results show that students’ EI enrolled in an entrepreneurship education (EE) program increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals with initial higher scores for EI have changed less than those with lower initial scores, and a gender difference exists in the initial level of EI and its antecedents. Our results also document the moderation effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and the importance of inspiration and resources in building students’ EI and provide valuable policy recommendations for universities regarding the design of EE programs to contribute to the economic recovery in the post-pandemic era

Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Prosocial Tendency in the Relation Between College Students' Post-traumatic Growth and Entrepreneurial Intention in the Post-COVID-19 Era

In this study, we explore the psychological mechanisms underlying the relation between college students' post-traumatic growth and their entrepreneurial intentions in the post-COVID-19 era. Using the post-traumatic growth, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, prosocial tendency, and entrepreneurial intention scales, we tested 690 valid samples of Chinese undergraduates (including 445 men and 245 women). The results revealed that post-traumatic growth of college students in the post-COVID-19 era will have a significant and positive effect on their entrepreneurial intentions. Additionally, the results indicated that students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy and prosocial tendencies play a partial mediation role between post-traumatic growth and entrepreneurial intentions in the post-COVID-19 era and that there is a chain mediating effect between students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy and prosocial tendencies. This study provides valuable insights into the influence of post-traumatic growth on entrepreneurial intentions among college students in the post-COVID-19 era and suggests that colleges and universities can improve students' entrepreneurial intentions by adopting measures to foster their post-traumatic growth, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and prosocial tendencies.

The Effect of COVID-19 on College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions

The new coronary pneumonia epidemic has had a tremendous impact on the world economic situation, causing a large number of enterprises to suffer from serious losses, but also bringing a large number of entrepreneurial opportunities. For college students, whether the opportunities brought by the epidemic can attract them to step into the entrepreneurial path becomes a question worthy of attention in the process of restoring economic vitality and guiding students’ employment and entrepreneurship. In this article, a mediation model was constructed and tested through 245 questionnaire data by combining event system theory, regulatory focus theory, and emotion cognitive evaluation theory. The results showed that defensive regulatory focus and fear of failure and facilitative regulatory focus and fear of failure were all able to continuously mediate the effect of event intensity of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic on the entrepreneurial intentions of college students.

Predicting the Entrepreneurial Behaviour of Starting Up a New Company: A Regional Study Using PLS-SEM and Data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

It is essential to understand the variables that explain and predict the behaviour of starting up a new company in a regional context. This study aims to analyse the theoretical basis and predictive potential of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data, considering the concerns and suggestions of other authors. In addition to an extensive literature review, a PLS-SEM methodology and data on variables and countries from the latest GEM report are used in this study. The results show that GEM reports have a sufficient theoretical foundation for quality studies in this field. In addition, a valid and reliable causal model is designed that includes all personal and contextual GEM variables. The hypotheses of the proposed model are based on the existing causal relationships in the literature, using GEM data in its formulation. The model is comprehensive and practical because it significantly predicts entrepreneurial behaviour, particularly entrepreneurial intention and action. The usefulness of this study is high, both for researchers, practitioners and institutions wishing to understand better and further promote entrepreneurial behaviour at a regional (country) level.

Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Intentions of College Students: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Competition Experience

This study aims to explore effective ways to improve college students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intentions through entrepreneurship education. The survey used a random sample of 804 college students in Zhejiang Province, China. The results show that: (1) In terms of the characteristics of entrepreneurial intention, there are significant differences in gender, entrepreneurial experience, entrepreneurial competition experience, and family background of self-employment. (2) There are significant differences in the characteristics of entrepreneurship education in gender, entrepreneurial competition experience, and the family background of self-employment. (3) In the relationship among entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurship education is significantly and positively related to entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy is significantly and positively associated with entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy plays a complete mediating role between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy also has a suppressing effect on the relationship between the two. (4) Entrepreneurial competition experience moderates the second half of the mediating effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Finally, the study offers several proposals for the teaching practice of entrepreneurship education.

Factoring and correlation in sleep, fatigue and mental workload of clinical first-line nurses in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19: A multi-center cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

A better understanding of the factors and their correlation with clinical first-line nurses' sleep, fatigue and mental workload is of great significance to personnel scheduling strategies and rapid responses to anti-pandemic tasks in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

OBJECTIVE

This multicenter and cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the nurses' sleep, fatigue and mental workload and contributing factors to each, and to determine the correlation among them.

METHODS

A total of 1,004 eligible nurses (46 males, 958 females) from three tertiary hospitals participated in this cluster sampling survey. The Questionnaire Star online tool was used to collect the sociodemographic and study target data: Sleep quality, fatigue, and mental workload. Multi-statistical methods were used for data analysis using SPSS 25.0 and Amos 21.0.

RESULTS

The average sleep quality score was 10.545 ± 3.399 (insomnia prevalence: 80.2%); the average fatigue score was 55.81 ± 10.405 (fatigue prevalence: 100%); and the weighted mental workload score was 56.772 ± 17.26. Poor sleep was associated with mental workload (r = 0.303, P < 0.05) and fatigue (r = 0.727, P < 0.01). Fatigue was associated with mental workload (r = 0.321, P < 0.05). COVID-19 has caused both fatigue and mental workload. As 49% of nurses claimed their mental workload has been severely affected by COVID-19, while it has done slight harm to 68.9% of nurses' sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, the high prevalence of sleep disorders and fatigue emphasizes the importance of paying enough attention to the mental health of nurses in first-class tertiary hospitals. Efficient nursing strategies should focus on the interaction of sleep, fatigue and mental workload in clinical nurses. In that case, further research on solutions to the phenomenon stated above proves to be of great significance and necessity.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

[https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [ChiCTR2100053133].