FinTech knowledge as drivers of higher education students’ FinTech entrepreneurial intentions: Insights from stimulus-organism-response theory

Despite the increasing interest in FinTech, there is limited research on understanding the dynamics of FinTech entrepreneurship. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the motivational factors that drive students' aspirations within the FinTech sector. Using the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory, this study explores how external stimuli, such as FinTech knowledge (crowdfunding, mobile payment, and blockchain), shape students' internal states (attitude toward FinTech entrepreneurship) and their responses (FinTech entrepreneurial intentions). Additionally, this study explores the moderation effect of technostress on the association between attitudes towards FinTech entrepreneurship and students' FinTech entrepreneurial intention. A sample of 2691 higher education students in Vietnam and the structural equal modeling method were employed to investigate the research model. The study's findings indicate that all three aspects of FinTech knowledge positively affect attitudes toward FinTech entrepreneurship. Additionally, the attitude toward FinTech entrepreneurship mediates the effect of knowledge about crowdfunding, mobile payment, and blockchain on FinTech entrepreneurial intention. Notably, the effect of attitude toward FinTech entrepreneurship on FinTech entrepreneurial intention was negatively moderated by technostress. This study is one of the first to utilize SOR theory to investigate the influence of FinTech knowledge and technostress on higher education students' FinTech entrepreneurial intentions, contributing novel insights into the intricate mechanisms driving FinTech entrepreneurship aspirations.