Social Class, Cultural Motives, and Entrepreneurial Passion: Insights for Entrepreneurship Education in an Emerging Economy

Entrepreneurial passion is a key driver of entrepreneurial behavior, yet its structural and cultural antecedents remain underexplored in entrepreneurship education. This study examines how childhood socioeconomic status and the perceived impact of entrepreneurship education shape harmonious and obsessive passion, and subsequently entrepreneurial intention, through the mediating role of the desire to gain face—a culturally embedded motive salient in collectivist emerging economies. Drawing on Social Class Theory, Face Theory, and Self-Determination Theory, we test a conceptual model using two-wave survey data from 273 entrepreneurship students in Vietnam. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling is used to assess the measurement and structural models. Results show that childhood socioeconomic status exerts competing direct and indirect effects on harmonious passion, yielding a non-significant total effect and no significant association with obsessive passion. The perceived impact of entrepreneurship education positively influences both forms of passion. The desire to gain face mediates its relationship with harmonious passion but not obsessive passion. Both harmonious and obsessive passion are positively associated with entrepreneurial intention. These findings highlight the importance of socio-cultural background and motivational internalization processes in entrepreneurship education design.