Feedback seeking behavior in entrepreneurship programs: The contextual and individual antecedents and entrepreneurship competence as the outcome

Understanding and motivating students’ feedback seeking behavior is essential for the success of entrepreneurship programs. Therefore, in this study, we investigated how contextual and individual antecedents influence students’ feedback seeking behavior and entrepreneurship competence as the outcome. Data were collected from 289 Dutch students enrolled in an entrepreneurship program that employed the lean startup method and customer development principles. Students completed a questionnaire before and after the educational program. Results of structural equation modelling showed that students who perceived the credibility of potential customers sought feedback from them more frequently, subsequently increasing students’ entrepreneurship competence. However, the relationship between perceived customer availability and feedback seeking behavior was not significant. Regarding the individual antecedent, results showed that students with high entrepreneurial self-efficacy sought feedback from potential customers more frequently. The findings contribute to a better understanding of student feedback seeking and effective lean startup-based entrepreneurship programs.