Developing entrepreneurial identity through entrepreneurship education: A configurational analysis

This article examines the role of entrepreneurship education in developing students' entrepreneurial identity by uncovering, through a configurational approach, the distinct combinations of conditions that foster this identity. A quasi-experiment was conducted with students in two Guinean universities, allowing a comparison of entrepreneurial identity development under two contrasting pedagogical contexts: experiential versus conventional. The questionnaire, administered via an online platform, was completed by 151 students both before and after an entrepreneurship course. The results indicate that entrepreneurial identity can develop regardless of pedagogy, notably when entrepreneurial outcome expectations improve alongside either entrepreneurial self-efficacy or career crystallization. Conversely, experiential pedagogies, when combined with heightened motivation and career crystallization, also reinforce this identity even without gains in self-efficacy. In conventional pedagogy, entrepreneurial identity strengthens when improvements in entrepreneurial outcome expectations are paired with greater social support, even without increases in self-efficacy or career crystallization. These findings contribute theoretically by challenging the dominant view that entrepreneurial self-efficacy and specific pedagogies are central prerequisites for developing entrepreneurial identity. They also underscore the pivotal roles of intrinsic motivation and social support, as well as the complementary (though less central) role of career crystallization, in shaping entrepreneurial identity in higher education. • Explores how entrepreneurial identity develops in a resource-constrained, non-Western context. • Uses a configurational approach (fsQCA) to uncover multiple causal pathways leading to identity formation. • Demonstrates the complementary role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and career crystallization. • Shows that both experiential and traditional pedagogies can foster entrepreneurial identity. • Provides empirical and practical insights for improving entrepreneurship education in developing countries.