Nurturing Sustainable Mindsets: Building Green Entrepreneurial Orientation through Education and Practice among Nature-Based School Students
Abstract
The increasing urgency of environmental sustainability calls for cultivating green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) among youth, empowering them to lead the transition toward a sustainable economy. This study proposes and tests a conceptual model examining the influence of Green Education (GE) on GEO, both directly and indirectly through Green Entrepreneurship Practices (GEP), in junior high school students. Using a total population sample of 108 students from an inclusive, nature-based educational setting in Indonesia, the findings demonstrate that green education plays a crucial role in fostering green entrepreneurship practices, which in turn strengthen students’ green entrepreneurial orientation. Additionally, green education directly enhances students’ entrepreneurial mindset toward sustainability. Unlike previous studies that primarily focus on university or adult learners, this study offers a novel contribution by extending green entrepreneurship discourse to early adolescence within a nature-based learning environment. It integrates experiential learning theory with sustainability education, highlighting how practical, nature-embedded entrepreneurial experiences can shape young students’ sustainable mindsets. The findings are significant as they provide empirical evidence of how early educational interventions can build the foundation for long-term environmental responsibility and innovative green behavior. Overall, this study contributes to both theory and practice by demonstrating that integrating green education and hands-on entrepreneurship practices in junior high school can effectively nurture future-oriented green entrepreneurs.
Keywords: Green Entrepreneurial Orientation, Green Education, Green Entrepreneurship Practices, Experiential Learning, Junior High School Student.
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