The contemporary global economy is increasingly shaped by rapid technological disruption, shifting labor markets, and the growing demand for innovation-driven growth. These transformations have significant implications for higher education, particularly in aligning curriculum design with evidence-based policy and institutional decision-making. Within this context, entrepreneurship has been widely recognized as a critical driver of economic development, job creation, and broader societal transformation (Wang et al., 2024). Accordingly, universities are no longer viewed merely as sites of knowledge transmission, but as entrepreneurial ecosystems that cultivate students’ mindsets, competencies, and behaviors. This shift reflects a transition in entrepreneurship education from a predominantly cognitive orientation toward a more practice-oriented approach, emphasizing observable entrepreneurial behaviors as key learning outcomes.

In higher education, entrepreneurship education is increasingly framed within an outcome-based learning paradigm, which aligns with contemporary educational quality assurance and accreditation standards. Educational success is thus assessed not only through students’ entrepreneurial knowledge or intentions, but through their demonstrated capacity to engage in entrepreneurial activities during their academic trajectories. Policymakers and educators globally acknowledge that fostering Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) is essential, as it represents the translation of entrepreneurial learning into practice and bridges the long-standing divide between classroom instruction and real-world entrepreneurial engagement. Evidence from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2023 report further highlights the relevance of this issue, indicating that youth entrepreneurship (ages 18–34) constitutes a substantial proportion of new business creation worldwide, with university students emerging as a particularly promising group due to their access to institutional resources, networks, and structured learning environments (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2023). Despite sustained investments in entrepreneurship education programs, incubators, and accelerator initiatives, a persistent gap remains between students’ entrepreneurial intentions and their actual entrepreneurial behavior (Al-Qadasi et al., 2024; Neneh & Dzomonda, 2024), indicating unresolved challenges in instructional design and learning transfer within higher education contexts.

Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) refers to the observable actions, decisions, and patterns of engagement through which students pursue entrepreneurial opportunities during their university education, and can be conceptualized as a measurable learning outcome within entrepreneurship curricula. Importantly, Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) is conceptually distinct from entrepreneurial intention, which reflects a cognitive commitment to future entrepreneurial activity rather than enacted behavior. Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) encompasses concrete forms of entrepreneurial participation, including opportunity identification, resource mobilization, venture creation, and business implementation (Manzi-Puertas et al., 2024). Positioning Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) as a core learning outcome of entrepreneurship education enables a more precise assessment of educational effectiveness, shifting evaluative focus from attitudinal change toward measurable behavioral enactment and learning transfer, thus strengthening constructive alignment between learning objectives, instructional strategies, and assessment practices in higher education.

From an educational perspective, understanding the factors that facilitate or constrain the transition from entrepreneurial intention to actual behavior is critical for the design of effective pedagogical strategies, curriculum frameworks, and experiential learning models. Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) serves as an integrative indicator of learning transfer, reflecting the extent to which entrepreneurship education translates pedagogical inputs into practical entrepreneurial action. Engagement in entrepreneurial activities during university education supports the development of adaptive thinking, resilience, innovation capacity, and strategic decision-making competencies that remain valuable across diverse career pathways (Boubker, 2024), thereby contributing to graduate employability and lifelong learning competencies. Moreover, student-initiated ventures contribute to economic growth, employment creation, and technological advancement, underscoring the broader societal relevance of Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) beyond individual educational achievement. Insight into Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) trends therefore holds significant potential to inform curriculum design, institutional support mechanisms, and policy interventions aimed at enhancing the impact of entrepreneurship education (Diepolder et al., 2025) particularly in aligning higher education outcomes with national education development agendas.

Although research on student entrepreneurship has expanded substantially over the past two decades, much of the existing literature remains concentrated on entrepreneurial intention, psychological antecedents, institutional support mechanisms, and intention-based theoretical frameworks, most notably the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Extensions of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) have incorporated constructs such as self-efficacy, passion, opportunity recognition, and social capital (Shen et al., 2025; Liu et al., 2025). However, several limitations persist. First, despite the dominance of intention-based models, relatively few studies explicitly conceptualize and examine Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) as an educational outcome in its own right, particularly through behavior-based indicators, thereby limiting its integration into educational evaluation systems. Second, the prevalence of cross-sectional research designs constrains understanding of the temporal development of entrepreneurial behavior, which is essential for longitudinal assessment of student learning progression. Third, the literature exhibits a strong geographic concentration, with limited representation from non-Western and underrepresented higher education contexts, thereby reducing the generalizability and contextual relevance of existing findings.

Methodological challenges further complicate knowledge accumulation in this field. Concerns regarding measurement validity and reliability remain salient, as many instruments lack rigorous validation, thereby limiting comparability across studies (Wang and Sahid, 2024a), and weakening the robustness of educational outcome assessment. Collectively, these issues point to the absence of a consolidated research agenda that integrates educational, behavioral, and contextual perspectives on Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB). While individual-level determinants have received considerable attention, meso-level influences related to institutional ecosystems and macro-level factors such as policy environments and cultural norms remain underexplored, highlighting the need for a more systematic and integrative mapping of the field.

Given the fragmented and interdisciplinary nature of Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) research, there is a clear need for systematic synthesis to map the intellectual structure and developmental trajectory of this emerging field, particularly to inform evidence-based educational reform and curriculum innovation. Bibliometric analysis provides a robust and transparent approach for addressing this need by enabling quantitative examination of publication trends, citation patterns, collaborative networks, and thematic structures. Unlike narrative reviews, which may be shaped by subjective selection and interpretation, bibliometric methods offer a data-driven overview of how Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) research has evolved, which themes dominate scholarly attention, and where critical gaps persist, thereby supporting more transparent and reproducible research synthesis in line with open science principles.

While previous bibliometric studies have examined entrepreneurship education, student entrepreneurship, and related entrepreneurial themes (Gabbianelli et al., 2021), relatively limited attention has been given to Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) as a distinct educational outcome. Existing studies have primarily focused on entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial intention, or broader entrepreneurship research rather than explicitly examining observable entrepreneurial behavior among university students. Therefore, this study aims to provide an exploratory bibliometric overview of Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) research published between 2020 and 2024. Specifically, it examines publication trends, thematic patterns, influential sources, and emerging research gaps within this evolving field. Specifically, it identifies key publication trends, influential authors and sources, collaborative networks, and thematic developments within the field. By doing so, this study provides an initial evidence-based overview of recent research developments and emerging thematic patterns in Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB), offering insights that may inform future research agendas, curriculum development, and entrepreneurship education policy (Jiatong et al., 2022), with explicit implications for evidence-based curriculum development, teaching innovation, and higher education quality enhancement.

The concept of entrepreneurship has evolved significantly, transitioning from a purely economic activity to a multifaceted phenomenon involving innovation, leadership, and social impact. At its core, entrepreneurship is understood as the capacity of individuals to identify, create, and exploit business opportunities while managing associated risks. This broader conceptualization emphasizes the role of entrepreneurs not only as business initiators but also as change agents who drive innovation and sustainability within economies (Murad et al., 2024b; Wang et al., 2024).

Within this broader domain, Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) has emerged as a pivotal construct, widely explored through the lens of Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). This theory posits that entrepreneurial intentions are shaped by attitudes toward entrepreneurship, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (Razi-ur-Rahim et al., 2024; Liu et al., 2025). While EI provides a theoretical framework to understand motivations, the actualization of entrepreneurial behavior often diverges from intentions, revealing a behavioral gap that requires further exploration (Relente & Capistrano, 2025).

A growing subset of research focuses on Student Rntrepreneurial Behavior (SEB), highlighting students as an emerging demographic within the entrepreneurial landscape. Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) encompasses attitudes, decisions, and actions taken by students toward starting and managing entrepreneurial ventures, often influenced by internal motivations, educational background, and external support systems (Boubker, 2024; Ahmed et al., 2025). Multiple studies indicate that while students demonstrate strong entrepreneurial intentions, these rarely translate into concrete actions due to barriers such as limited access to funding, lack of mentorship, and institutional constraints (Diepolder et al., 2025; Manzi-Puertas et al., 2024).

In parallel, the role of entrepreneurship education has been extensively studied as a key enabler of Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB). Findings suggest that well-designed curricula can enhance entrepreneurial mindset and skills, although the impact varies across institutional and cultural contexts (Ayob, 2021; Bejinaru et al., 2023). However, few studies critically examine the long-term effects of such education or compare pedagogical approaches (e.g., experiential vs. theoretical learning). Furthermore, methodological inconsistencies and context-specific tools used to assess Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) have limited the comparability of findings across regions (Soba et al., 2021; Wang and Sahid, 2024b).

Recent literature also emphasizes the need for scale validation and the development of reliable measurement instruments that can be applied cross-culturally. Many existing tools lack psychometric robustness or are validated only within narrow samples, typically limited to a single country or institution (Alakaleek et al., 2023). Additionally, the predominance of cross-sectional studies limits understanding of the progression from intention to behavior, calling for longitudinal approaches (Zhao, 2022; Jiatong et al., 2022).

Despite the growing body of knowledge, key gaps remain in the literature: (1) a lack of global synthesis of research trends and thematic focus; (2) limited attention to cross-cultural generalizability of findings; (3) underrepresentation of longitudinal and empirical studies linking intention to behavior; and (4) insufficient integration of institutional and policy-level factors that could support or hinder Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB). These gaps underscore the need for a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to systematically review and synthesize global research on Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) and to inform future directions in this evolving field.

This study aims to identify global trends, thematic clusters, and methodological gaps in research on student entrepreneurial behavior during 2020-2024 through bibliometric analysis, in order to guide future research and policy formulation.

This study employed a bibliometric approach to provide an exploratory mapping of research on Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) published between 2020 and 2024. The analysis followed a transparent and replicable procedure adapted from established bibliometric protocols.

The Scopus database was selected as the primary data source due to its broad coverage of peer-reviewed international publications. Data were retrieved using Publish or Perish software by applying the following search query: TITLE (“student entrepreneurial behaviour” OR “student entrepreneurial behavior”). The search was restricted to journal articles and conference papers published in English between 2020 and 2024.

The initial results were screened for relevance to Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) in higher education and assessed for eligibility, excluding retracted and review-type publications, before being restricted to the final 2020–2024 review period. The final dataset consisted of 31 publications, reflecting the specificity of the search query and the emerging nature of the research domain. The complete stage-by-stage screening process is detailed in the Results section and in the accompanying Zenodo repository.

Bibliographic data were exported in RIS format and analyzed using VOSviewer. Keyword co-occurrence analysis was conducted using the full counting method with a minimum occurrence threshold of two keywords. Network visualization employed the association strength normalization method, while thematic clusters were generated using the default VOSviewer clustering resolution (resolution = 1.00). The focus on title-based terms ensured conceptual precision, although it may limit the breadth of captured literature.

The relatively small dataset reflects the specificity of the search strategy, which intentionally focused on publications explicitly addressing Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) in article titles. Rather than providing a comprehensive mapping of entrepreneurship research, this study aims to offer an exploratory overview of this emerging research domain.

This study was designed as an exploratory bibliometric analysis rather than a systematic review. The primary objective was to visualize publication trends and thematic relationships within an emerging research area, rather than to synthesize evidence regarding intervention effectiveness or study outcomes.

The findings of this study should be interpreted within the context of its exploratory design. While the results offer meaningful insights into the emerging structure of Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) research, caution is warranted when generalizing beyond the analyzed dataset.

The discussion is structured around the five clusters identified in the previous analysis. Each cluster is examined through a systematic categorization of the included articles based on their primary focus, as summarized in Table 4. Table 4 presents the reclassification of the six original VOSviewer clusters into five broader thematic categories after merging Clusters 2 and 3.

Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 contain the most articles, indicating that the topics of entrepreneurship education and student entrepreneurial behavior are the main focus in current research. Clusters 3, 4, and 5 are less frequently researched but still relevant in exploring social entrepreneurial intention, research methodology, and empirical analysis.

In Cluster 1, most research still focuses on the influence of self-efficacy, passion, and creativity on students’ entrepreneurial intentions (Cuong, 2023; Fitouri, 2023). However, there is still a significant gap in examining how personal characteristics of students, such as risk propensity and intrinsic motivation, can influence their entrepreneurial decision-making in a broader context, especially in developing countries (Ayob, 2021; Campos et al., 2021). Research on the differences in the influence of individual factors based on students’ cultural, social, and economic backgrounds is also limited (Barreto Colichi et al., 2021; Jiatong et al., 2022). Future studies can be conducted by developing a more comprehensive model that integrates personal factors such as intrinsic motivation, risk propensity, and entrepreneurial mindset (Alakaleek et al., 2023; Murad et al., 2024a). Other research could focus on cross-cultural comparisons to identify differences in the influence of individual factors on entrepreneurial intention in countries with different socio-economic conditions. Furthermore, research could explore the interaction between individual factors and entrepreneurship education support in encouraging students to take entrepreneurial steps.

In Cluster 2, although many studies has researched the influence of entrepreneurship education on students’ entrepreneurial intentions, there is still a gap in exploring the most effective teaching methods as well as external factors that either reinforce or hinder the impact of education. Most studies tend to overlook the social and cultural factors that may affect how much entrepreneurship education influences students, especially in developing countries (Barreto Colichi et al., 2021; Campos et al., 2021). Furthermore, the lack of research examining the connection between entrepreneurship curricula and real-world changes in students’ entrepreneurial behavior is also a gap that needs to be addressed (Jiatong et al., 2022). Future research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of various entrepreneurship teaching methods, such as practical approaches (e.g., real-world projects or business incubators) compared to traditional theoretical approaches (Wang & Sahid, 2024b). Additionally, cross-country research is needed to examine the differences in the impact of entrepreneurship education within different social and cultural contexts (Zhao, 2022). This research could explore the relationship between entrepreneurship curricula taught at universities and the application of entrepreneurial knowledge by students in the job market, as well as how external support, such as government policies or industry support, can strengthen students’ entrepreneurial intentions and behavior (Alakaleek et al., 2023; Murad et al., 2024a).

In Cluster 3, although many studies discuss the influence of social and environmental factors on students’ social entrepreneurial intentions, there is still a significant gap in understanding the impact of local culture on entrepreneurial decisions, especially in countries with different economic and social contexts (Ayob, 2021; Zhao, 2022). Existing research often focuses on external influences such as family or peer support, but tends to overlook the role of government policies and broader social structures in shaping social entrepreneurship among students (Jiatong et al., 2022). Future research could explore more deeply how government policies and social environments in countries with different economic contexts influence students’ social entrepreneurial intentions (Campos et al., 2021). Additionally, research could adopt a qualitative approach to better understand how cultural values and social norms in specific countries can either strengthen or limit social entrepreneurship (Fitouri, 2023). Research could also examine the role of communities or social networks in helping students develop social entrepreneurial ideas and their implementation in local contexts (Alakaleek et al., 2023; Zhao, 2022).

In Cluster 4, although many studies have discussed scale validation for measuring entrepreneurial behavior, there is still a lack of development in creating a more comprehensive and internationally applicable measurement scale. Many existing measurement tools are only used in specific contexts, such as in higher education or only in certain countries, so there is no global validation that can be applied across different cultures and educational systems (Soba et al., 2021). Additionally, there is a gap in measurement that does not solely rely on self-reporting from students, which can lead to bias in the measurement results (Ataei et al., 2021). Future research needs to develop an entrepreneurship measurement scale that can be applied across various cultural contexts and educational systems. This scale should validate broader dimensions of entrepreneurship, encompassing not only entrepreneurial behavior but also social innovation and resilience. Research should also focus on alternative methodologies to reduce self-report bias in measurements, such as using observational methods or outcome-based measurements in students’ entrepreneurial practices (M. A. Fauzi et al., 2021; Jiatong et al., 2022; Soba et al., 2021).

In Cluster 5, although many studies examine Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) in universities, there is still a lack of longitudinal research that tracks changes in Students Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) over the long term. Many studies are cross-sectional, which limits the understanding of how entrepreneurial intentions develop and are translated into entrepreneurial actions over time (Cuong, 2023). Furthermore, research still lacks a focus on external factors outside of universities that influence the success of student entrepreneurship, such as access to financing, mentoring, or professional networks (Fitouri, 2023). Future research could adopt a longitudinal approach to study how students’ entrepreneurial behavior evolves from intention to actual action after they graduate and enter the workforce (Zhao, 2022). Additionally, more in-depth research is needed to explore the influence of external support, such as access to financing, business incubators, and professional networks, on the success of student entrepreneurship beyond university. The research would provide a more comprehensive picture of the entrepreneurial ecosystem that can support students in realizing their business ideas after graduation (Jiatong et al., 2022; Soba et al., 2021).

This study provides an exploratory bibliometric overview of Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB) research within higher education. Scholarly interest in this area increased markedly over the study period, from 1 article in 2020 to a peak of 11 articles in 2022, before declining slightly to 5 and 6 articles in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The keyword co-occurrence analysis further indicates that research attention remains unevenly distributed, with Cluster 1 and Cluster 2, centered on individual factors influencing entrepreneurial intention and on the role of education, together accounting for the majority of the 31 included publications. Despite this growth, the field remains conceptually fragmented and methodologically limited, with much of the existing literature emphasizing entrepreneurial intention rather than observable entrepreneurial behavior.

The study offers initial insights into the thematic focus and emerging research gaps in SEB research, particularly regarding longitudinal investigation, cross-cultural validation, and the measurement of entrepreneurial behavior as an educational outcome. Given the relatively limited number of publications included in this analysis, these findings should be interpreted as an exploratory overview rather than a comprehensive representation of the field.

Future research should employ broader datasets, multiple bibliographic databases, and more rigorous methodological approaches to develop a more comprehensive understanding of Student Entrepreneurial Behavior (SEB). Strengthening this line of inquiry will contribute to the advancement of entrepreneurship education and support evidence-based curriculum development and educational practice.