This study contributes to the research field of entrepreneurship education by providing a new perspective that combines concepts of the entrepreneurial teacher, entrepreneurial teaching methods and the development of entrepreneurial competences in students. As being entrepreneurial in the teaching context can be explored from various angles, the paper focuses on two important elements of this construct: the innovativeness and risk-taking ability of the teacher. The authors present empirical evidence from 1,011 higher education teachers from 21 different higher education institutions in Finland. The results show that a teacher’s innovativeness and risk-taking ability have a positive relationship with the use of entrepreneurial teaching methods, and influences how the teacher encourages the development of students’ entrepreneurial competences. An innovative and risk-taking teacher varies the teaching methods used in entrepreneurship education. The study suggests that teachers with a lower level of innovativeness and lower risk-taking ability do not use as many entrepreneurial teaching methods as more innovative and risk-taking teachers. In addition, the results confirm the importance of the teacher’s own innovativeness and risk-taking when fostering students’ entrepreneurial competences.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper studies the role of paradoxes in the adoption of entrepreneurship education (EE) in schools.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research methods were used, and the data were collected via semi-structured interviews with Finnish teachers and principals.FindingsParadoxes are an important factor slowing the adoption of EE. Paradoxes appear to arise from teachers' misunderstandings, high personal standards of pedagogy and an unwillingness to change their routines. In schools, principals still regard EE as a newcomer that is easily abandoned should any difficulties emerge. The principals show unwillingness to take responsibility for managing EE or to establish relationships with companies.Research limitations/implicationsThe study represents Finnish practice in basic education. Due to the qualitative methodology applied, the generalizability of the results is limited. Quantitative research on the teachers' and principals' behaviour related to paradoxes in EE is needed. Furthermore, the pedagogical prioritization related to the introduction of EE warrants more research.Practical implicationsThe results suggest good opportunities exist in training to prepare teachers and principals to anticipate the difficulties of EE.Originality/valueThe study introduces a new understanding of the difficulties in the adoption of EE. Paradoxes are important factors to take into account in the promotion of EE. Paradoxes stem from teachers' misunderstandings, misconceptions and their unwillingness to change. Principals seem unwilling to assume their responsibilities in managing EE. The study highlights opportunities for managing the emergence of these paradoxes by preparing teachers and principals better on the difficulties and unexpected outcomes of EE.
The purpose of this study is to add to the literature on entrepreneurial universities by investigating entrepreneurial culture (EC) in higher education institutions (HEIs). The authors investigate how students experience EC and which factors explain their perceptions of EC. The study is based on a survey of HEI students in Finland with 1277 responses. The results show that formal institutional support and institution-level activities have the strongest impact on the students’ experienced EC. According to the findings, formal institutional support has a greater impact on students’ perceptions of EC than student-driven activities. Furthermore, the results highlight that the encouragement of teachers has a greater influence on students’ perceptions of EC than peer students and student-driven activities. Accordingly, the paper’s theoretical contribution to the literature lies in its demonstration that institutional support, in addition to the encouragement of teachers, influences HEI students’ perceptions of EC. With regard to practical implications, the findings indicate that, if HEIs wish to build an EC and operate entrepreneurially, it is vital to support teachers’ entrepreneurial behaviour and thinking. In addition, equal emphasis needs to be placed on the observable artefacts and on clear, well-communicated organisational structures and processes.
This study explores teachers’ professional development in entrepreneurship education (EE). It examines empirically the change in teachers’ EE practices among Finnish teachers in 2011–2017. Overall, the quantitative analysis reveals that entrepreneurship education practices are increasing, albeit unevenly. Three groups of teachers, EE experimenters, EE critics, and EE selectors show different profiles in their use of EE practices. Furthermore, these groups seem to represent different stages of EE professionalization. The analysis shows that teachers’ EE practices increase on the introductory stage but decrease deeply after. Moreover, the study suggests that teachers’ implementation of EE evolves along with their teaching experience. As regards implications it reveals that teachers in different stages of professional development need different types of support. The adoption of EE practices depends on the institutional and social support offered to teachers. The results of the investigation contribute to the literature of EE by introducing a new typology of teachers, also presenting empirical evidence of the teachers’ ability to absorb EE as a new approach. Furthermore, the study shows that for the adoption of EE it is not enough to emphasize the introductory stage but instead also the later stages of teacher’s professionalization need to be considered.
Previous research into entrepreneurial learning has focused mainly on defining its aims; however, there seems to be little discussion on understanding the barriers or incentives involved when carrying out the pedagogical solutions that would enable entrepreneurial learning. In this study, we examine basic education level schools’ cooperation with outside partners, especially from the school principals’ and teachers’ viewpoints. The study aims to understand the perspectives of teachers and principals on planning and organizing school-company interaction. To do this, content analysis was used in this qualitative study. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews with school teachers and principals, involving a total of 35 people working in basic education. The findings of the study show that principals and teachers intentionally select long-term cooperation methods to meet the aims of entrepreneurial learning. On the other hand, teachers that have chosen to apply short-term school-company cooperation methods have highlighted the ease of these methods rather than learning. Finally, our findings suggest that planning and organizing entrepreneurial learning would benefit from school-level commitment where collaboration between teachers and between teachers and company representatives is valued. We believe that would lead to more satisfied teachers and longer-term school-company cooperation, and also believe that short-term school-company cooperation methods would better meet the aims of entrepreneurial learning.
The purpose of this study was to examine the utilization of the opportunities offered by teacher and school autonomy in entrepreneurship education with companies involved. The research question was: How do schools and teachers use their autonomy in the implementation of entrepreneurship education? This research question was complemented by two additional research questions that were: How does teacher autonomy benefit the implementation of entrepreneurship education? and How do teachers want to utilize autonomy in teaching? This qualitative study used content analyses and the data were collected via semi-structured interviews, with a total of 35 people from 23 schools in Finland. The findings show that school and teacher autonomy brought excellent results in implementing entrepreneurship education and, in these cases, the message of the curriculum worked as fuel for the activities carried out by the school and the teachers. At the same time, some groups of schools and teachers disregarded the message of the curriculum for a set of reasons. Hence, the educational authorities nationally and locally need to consider the balance between autonomy and the core curriculum and weigh the pros and cons of the situation. The study suggests further research on teachers’ perceptions of the relationship between the curricula expectations and implementation of entrepreneurship education.
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