A study of entrepreneurial passion among the postgraduate entrepreneurship education program students

Entrepreneurial passion (EP) is a deep, enduring emotional inclination toward the pursuit of entrepreneurial career aspirations, dynamically shaped through lived experience, contemplation, and personal commitment to self-development. This study explores the experience of EP among the postgraduate students who enrolled in postgraduate entrepreneurship education programs (PEEP). Employing the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, the study investigates how twelve participants experienced their EP throughout the behavioral integration process. The analysis yielded one overarching theme, New Entrepreneurship Mastery vs Professional Career Pursuits – supported by three core themes: (1) The Kindling Flame of EP, which captures the integration of foundational and emerging motives into a sustained entrepreneurial drive; (2) The Deep Elements of EP, which highlights introspective processes that reinforce entrepreneurial resilience; and (3) The Identity Ecdysis Process, which reflects the harmonisation and restructuring of micro-identities through personal identity reconstruction aligned with universal values and future goals. The study proposes two strategic directions for enhancing entrepreneurship education: (1) fostering organic and autonomous internalization of universal entrepreneurial values, and (2) providing structured opportunities for self-exploration and introspection to align entrepreneurial values with personal life aspirations. Research implications, future research discussions are then discussed.