Improving entrepreneurship education in primary schools: a pioneer project

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1148-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Floris ◽  
Daniela Pillitu

Purpose As one of the eight key competencies of life-long learning strategies identified by the European Union and the difficulties in enhancing the “sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”, the purpose of this paper is to propose a co-production approach to overcome several concerns. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory approach is used to analyse a single case study based on the EntreComp progression model and on a pedagogical approach consistent with the philosophy of learning through creating value for others. Findings The study introduces best novel practices that help enhance entrepreneurial education in primary school by engaging multiple local stakeholders in co-producing education. The case mainly shows that a co-production approach is appropriate to overcome challenges and assists policymakers to identify specific actions and make investments in entrepreneurship education (EE) at the primary level. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, the study contributes to literature on entrepreneurial education and co-production studies. The main drawback of the study is its explorative analysis of a single case. Practical implications For practitioners, the research proposes stakeholder involvement as key to co-producing EE in primary schools, implying that policymakers should identify resources for projects and other similar initiatives. Originality/value The study elucidates the relevance of co-production approach to ensure early EE in school.

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-151
Author(s):  
H.M. Kamrul Hassan

Purpose Entrepreneurial intention plays a crucial role in the research and application of social entrepreneurship (SE). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the factors affecting students’ intention towards social entrepreneurship (ISE). The study has taken entrepreneurial self-efficacy, along with entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial network and perceived university support that have an impact on intentions, which instills interest amongst students in being future entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach Data were primarily taken from a survey of 380 university students from public and private universities in Chattogram, the business capital of Bangladesh. Students were preliminarily selected, focussing on different profiles such as male/female, age, socio-economic status, education level, university status and employment level. Initially, using factor analysis factors were analyzed and later multiple regression analysis was used to identify the relationship with ISE. Findings The study on the student reveals that four aspects significantly impacted the preference of students’ ISE. This study reinforces the influence of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, along with entrepreneurial education, as the factors contributing to aid young graduates recognizing and fostering an ISE. Entrepreneurial networks and perceived university support were found to have no association with social entrepreneurial intentions. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of the factors and provides a basis for explaining factors that affect the intention of students towards SE. It can contribute to future research related to social entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, it was concluded that forming social entrepreneurial intention is highly influenced by entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurship education.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalit Sharma

Purpose – The prime purpose of the study is to assess the role of education in general and entrepreneurship education in particular in developing youth entrepreneurship in Uttarakhand State, India. The study also tested the methodology based on effectiveness and compared it with the traditional ex post method to find if there is any difference in results. Alternatively, the study also checked whether the students of developing economies are more likely to take up entrepreneurship as a career, which has strongly been contended by some of the recent studies. Design/methodology/approach – The role of education was assessed on two grounds: increase in general awareness and knowledge about entrepreneurship, and development of entrepreneurial intentions and inclination of students. A structured questionnaire was administered on 530 final-year students. The questionnaire tested the interest and intentions of students towards taking up entrepreneurship as a career and also evaluated the level of awareness and knowledge of entrepreneurship among the students. Cross-tabulation, mean values and t-test were used to analyse the results. Findings – The research confirmed that higher education institutions (HEIs) of Uttarakhand have not been very effective in building entrepreneurial awareness and knowledge level of students. Students who studied entrepreneurship subject showed a little better awareness and knowledge level of entrepreneurship, which was found to be statistically significant in comparison to their counterparts, but the mean scores indicated poor knowledge level. As the authors used an ex post method and method based on effectiveness of entrepreneurship education, the authors got two different results for impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions. More appropriate one being that with the observed level of awareness and knowledge level of entrepreneurship (which was very low); the authors cannot possibly determine the actual impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions. Practical implications – The research has direct implications for research scholars working in the field of determining the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions, entrepreneurship education institutions and also the policymakers. Originality/value – In comparison to most of the earlier studies done to find the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions, this study differs in its methodological approach and first of all evaluates the effectiveness and impact of entrepreneurial education in developing entrepreneurial awareness and knowledge of student. The author undertakes that if entrepreneurship education is ineffective in developing the desired level of awareness and knowledge of entrepreneurship, the actual effect of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions cannot actually be determined and the authors may not be able to get accurate outcomes of such studies. To justify the stand, author compares the traditional ex post approach with the approach based on effectiveness of the programme and brings into light the difference in outcomes. The proposed approach rests on the premises that education must be absorbed and not just delivered to assess its impact.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 584-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm J. Beynon ◽  
Paul Jones ◽  
Gary Packham ◽  
David Pickernell

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate student motivation for undertaking an entrepreneurship education programme and their ultimate employment aspirations through a novel data mining technique. The study considered what relationship certain motivation characteristics have to students’ aspirations, specifically in terms of their intention to be self-employed or employed. Design/methodology/approach – The study examined enrolment data of 720 students on an entrepreneurial education programme, with work statuses of full-time, part-time or unemployed and have known aspirations to either employment or self-employment. The Classification and Ranking Belief Simplex (CaRBS) technique is employed in the classification analyses undertaken, which offers an uncertain reasoning based visual approach to the exposition of findings. Findings – The classification findings demonstrate the level of contribution of the different motivations to the discernment of students with self-employed and employed aspirations. The most contributing aspirations were Start-Up, Interests and Qualifications. For these aspirations, further understanding is provided with respect to gender and student age (in terms of the association with aspirations towards self-employed or employed). For example, with respect to Start-Up, the older the unemployed student, the increasing association with employment rather than self-employment career aspirations. Research limitations/implications – The study identifies candidate motivation and the demographic profile for student's undertaking an entrepreneurial education programme. Knowing applicant aspirations should inform course design, pedagogy and its inherent flexibility and recognise the specific needs of certain student groups. Originality/value – The study contributes to the literature examining motivations for undertaking entrepreneurship education and categorising motivating factors. These findings will be of value to both education providers and researchers.


Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-360
Author(s):  
Thomas John McCloughlin

PurposeThis paper aims to examine a range of unintended consequences in Irish society both historical and present-day, with a view of presenting the structure of society as a dynamic system with both homeostatic or autopoietic aspects.Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken in this work is in the examination of the concept of institutionalisation and whether the public perception of life in Ireland can be compared between two widely separated periods, in this case, 1800s and 2000s, and then taking one example from this model and determining the validity of single case isolation: autism units in mainstream primary schools.FindingsEven initiatives in society for the “common good” appear to have unforeseen consequences which are negative. Irish society has the appearance of a homeostatic system but on closer examination is autopoietic. The term “better” is misplaced when comparing two time frames, and argument can be made to agree or disagree.Research limitations/implicationsThere are serious limitations in using historical data in the first place, but secondarily problematic when correlating with the equivalent modern data, for example, how questions are termed and answers given, how data are collected and validated are different across different time frames. Even when one finds comparable data, it is difficult to validate and selection does itself create a bias.Originality/valueThe value of this work is to evaluate the commonplace distinction policymakers make when comparing two periods in time; for the lay person, this is a means to say whether modern Irish society could be said to be “better” than that in the nineteenth century.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajed M. Abukhader

Purpose Teaching management information systems (MIS) fundamental course remains a challenging task to date, encountering several continuing complaints from students as well as instructors, as per several studies. Several reasons are reported, some of which are related to little embrace of more innovative non-traditional techniques, and limited literature guidance on selection and effective use of appropriate strategies to various settings. Toward instructional innovation, this paper proposes and tests a pedagogical instrument. By introducing this tool, the ultimate objective is to minimize the confusion that students usually encounter during this course and to empower the instructors in the delivery of its interdisciplinary knowledge. Design/methodology/approach A triangulation of four methods is being employed: conceptual development, experimentation for 12 years, assessment in light of the self-regulated learning theory, and empirical analysis. For the latter method, an open-ended questionnaire as well as group interviewing were carried out. Findings The proposed instrument (need-function instrument [NFI]) was found to be in support of self-regulated learning to a promising extent in terms of its four core aspects. The participants were more inclined to accept as well as appreciate the instrument than report drawbacks. Yet, there are few complaints for the inability to distinguish between two introduced terms, ‘Information Problem’ and ‘Operations Problem’. Therefore, a future effort is deemed necessary to explore this aspect. Research limitations/implications The results are based on a single case of educational institution which is not enough to generalize for other educational environments. Future research is necessary for testing in a variety of settings in terms of type of classroom, number of students enrolled, type of institution (public or private), etc. Practical implications Whereas the instrument is anticipated to render improvements in the students’ understanding of MIS content and to alleviate the task of the course leader in delivering the course, there are possible practical implications that should be paid careful attention to. They were analyzed in terms of four dimensions: the Instructor, the Student, the Classroom and Time. Originality/value The paper introduces a new pedagogical instrument/tool for teaching the MIS fundamental course.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Zhuravleva ◽  
Anna Aminoff

PurposeThe European Union (EU) member states are obligated to implement the separate collection of textile waste by the year 2025. Nowadays, non-profit organizations (NPOs) are the largest collectors of post-use textiles. In support of upcoming changes, this study develops an understanding of barriers and drivers for establishing partnerships between NPOs and companies in reverse textile supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts the embedded single-case design. The main data source is semi-structured interviews with NPOs, companies and research institutes in Finland, identified through intensity case sampling. The drivers and barriers are categorized into seven categories: environmental, economic, social, institutional, technological and informational, supply chain and organizational categories.FindingsThis study elaborates on the barriers and drivers in a new context of textile valorization and prioritizes them. The study identifies the alignment of interests and goals, increased transparency and clarity of terminology and other main factors in establishing the partnership.Research limitations/implicationsExpanding the geographical boundaries of current research will capture the experiences of NPOs and companies in other contextual settings.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to the existing knowledge with a broad picture of different barriers and drivers. The findings intend to support the integration of NPOs in reverse textile supply chains.Social implicationsThe partnership can potentially minimize the export of post-use textiles to developing countries, thus reducing the negative environmental footprint and social impact of the textile industry.Originality/valueThe study looks at an emerging form of partnership between NPOs and companies in reverse supply chains for enabling valorization of post-use textiles.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1061-1086
Author(s):  
Jonas Gabrielsson ◽  
Gustav Hägg ◽  
Hans Landström ◽  
Diamanto Politis

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to explore knowledge accumulation in research on pedagogy in entrepreneurship education, with particular attention to how core journal outlets, core topics and core scholarly works have developed over time.Design/methodology/approachThe authors combine a systematic literature review technique and bibliometric analysis to depict the development of this stream of research in the period 1995–2018.FindingsFindings from the analyses suggests that research addressing pedagogy in entrepreneurship education has developed into a coherent research theme over the past decade, with a noticeable cognitive structure in core research topics and core works, as well as a number of core journal outlets for debates and dissemination of findings.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is anchored in a bibliometric research tradition and influenced by the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.Originality/valueThe paper provided contributes to the understanding of knowledge accumulation in research addressing pedagogy in entrepreneurial education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Art Barnard ◽  
Thomas Pittz ◽  
Jeff Vanevenhoven

PurposeOver the past 30 years, enrollment in entrepreneurship programming within community colleges has grown substantially. The two-year context poses unique challenges and opportunities for studying entrepreneurship, and the purpose of this paper is to use a narrative review approach to consider the vitality of entrepreneurship education in the community college system. This research captures and reflects key findings from the field and illuminates the current state of scholarship on entrepreneurship education in community colleges. Four key areas are highlighted that describe the primarily challenges and distinctiveness of entrepreneurship education in the community college setting: curricular effectiveness, emphasis, degree and non-degree programs. The general framework that emerges from this narrative review helps to identify gaps in the literature and provides a focal point for future studies.Design/methodology/approachA structured literature review methodology (Armitage and Keeble-Allen, 2008) was chosen for this study as the state of literature in the specific area of interest did not present general groupings of topics or activities. Given this lack of categorical clarity, the design was specifically focused on bringing together key groupings to provide a framework for further study. The specific methodology adopted standard SLR techniques in terms of article selection, choice and organization. No pre-conceived groupings were used as part of organization of information. The goal was to allow the disparate studies fall into natural categories as greater review and organization continued.FindingsDuring the authors’ review and analysis of the extant literature, four focal areas emerge that appear to create a general framework for explaining the important matters in community college entrepreneurial education. Those areas are: overall effectiveness, education emphasis, non-credit educational programs, and for-credit educational programs. The following discussion offers a starting point for future investigation. Figure 2 presents this paper’s advocacy arguments and a full literature review follows this initial framework.Originality/valueEntrepreneurship programs in universities have grown significantly over the last 30 years (Heriot and Simpson, 2007). In the early 1980s, approximately 300 schools had entrepreneurship and small business programs. By the 1990s, that number had increased to 1,050 schools and signaled the beginnings of rapid entrepreneurial education expansion (Solomon et al., 1994). By the early 2000s, entrepreneurship education had exploded to more than 1,600 schools offering over 2,200 courses including journals and mainstream trade publications as well as special issues devoted solely to entrepreneurship (Katz, 2003; in Kuratko, 2005). This growth trend has been mirrored in community colleges (DoBell and Ingle, 2009). Despite that growth, scholarship regarding entrepreneurship education in community colleges has been described as a “wild west” (Truit, 2017) highlighted by little communication or sharing of experiences or cooperative activities beyond limited partnerships both inside or outside of the community college. Existing studies tend to be scattered and practitioner-written while academic articles are often theoretical, focused more on entrepreneurial education in four-year universities and at times promote underspecified models of challenges community colleges face. Given the dearth of scholarly work in the domain, this review attempts to form a comprehensive classification of extant work in order to stimulate and direct future research in this domain. The goal is to provide a current “state of the literature” of entrepreneurial education in community colleges that shares findings, suggests potential areas of inquiry, and helps to structure research arguments. To accomplish this, in the spirit of Hammersley (2001) and Harvey and Moeller (2009), we present a descriptive, narrative review of entrepreneurship education in community colleges in order to gain a better understanding of its complexities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-83
Author(s):  
Nimitha Aboobaker ◽  
Renjini D.

Purpose In the context of conflicting results in the existing literature on the effectiveness of entrepreneurial education and training, this study aims to examine the effect of entrepreneurial training on perceived human capital and entrepreneurial intention of students. A deeper understanding of the effectiveness of entrepreneurship programs assumes significance, given the substantial policy support and budgetary spending on entrepreneurship education across the world, especially in emerging economies like India. Furthermore, the authors seek to examine if human capital mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial training and entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach In total, 330 final-year students who had undergone a mandatory course on “entrepreneurship and new venture planning” in various disciplines in science, technology and management were randomly selected as sample respondents. A self-administered and structured questionnaire that measured the attitude toward perceived effectiveness of entrepreneurial education and training, perceived human capital and the entrepreneurial intention was used to elicit responses. Findings Results revealed that entrepreneurial training and education are effective in eliciting an important student-level outcome of entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, the study found that human capital significantly mediates the aforementioned relationship. Based on these findings, it is suggested to further the focus of entrepreneurial training programs conducted in universities and thus foster entrepreneurial outcomes among students. Originality/value This study adds to the body of knowledge, by examining if entrepreneurial education and training provided by universities indeed yield positive results in terms of higher intentions to engage in entrepreneurial activities, with emphasis on a large developing economy like India. Entrepreneurship development is widely recognized as an effective tool for the socio-economic development of societies in developing countries. This study, by establishing the efficacy of entrepreneurship education in creating entrepreneurial intention among young students, endorses the policy focus and resource spending on entrepreneurship training and education. Also, this study is pioneering in examining the mediating role of human capital in the aforementioned relationship.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-154
Author(s):  
James Rayawan ◽  
Vinit S. Tipnis ◽  
Alfonso J. Pedraza-Martinez

PurposeThe authors investigate the role of community engagement in the connection between disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness. Using a vulnerability-to-hazard framework built by the European Union, the authors study the case of Aceh province, Indonesia, which was hit hard by Asian tsunami in 2004.Design/methodology/approachThe research design uses a single case study research. The authors study the case of Aceh province, Indonesia, by comparing improvements in disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness in a period longer than ten years beginning in 2004, right before the Asian tsunami that devastated the province. Aware that the connection between mitigation and preparedness is a broad research topic, the authors focus on the domain of pre-disaster evacuation.FindingsThe authors find that Aceh province has made substantial improvements in healthcare facilities and road quality (mitigation) as well as early alert systems and evacuation plans (preparedness). Socio-economic indicators of the community have improved substantially as well. However, there is a lack of safe sheltering areas as well as poor road signaling maintenance, which threatens the effectiveness of infrastructural improvements. The authors propose that community engagement would connect disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness. The connecting element is community-based maintenance of critical infrastructure such as road signals, which the government could facilitate by leveraging on operational transparency.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings open avenues for future research on the actionable engagement of communities in disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to three areas of humanitarian logistics research: disaster management cycle (DMC), pre-disaster evacuations and community engagement in disaster management.


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