Enhancing students’ entrepreneurial mindset: a Swedish experience

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the test of a pedagogical intervention to enhance students’ entrepreneurial mindset on a university course. Design/methodology/approach The course where the authors tested the new course design is a mandatory one in the business school’s undergraduate business program. Pre- and post-evaluations of the students’ opportunity recognition (OR) and individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) were carried out to measure the effects of an intervention aimed at enhancing these capabilities. Findings The results from paired-samples t-tests indicate significant positive changes (enhancements) of the students’ OR and IEO. The positive effects of the intervention methods are accounted for as evidence of the benefits of applying pedagogical methods that fit the learning style of young adults. Practical implications The findings suggest that students’ mindsets can be positively affected by an intervention tailored to enhance their OR and IEO capabilities. The findings have implications for curriculum development because the strengthening of these capabilities is a precondition for further development of the participants’ innovative and creative thinking, as well as their entrepreneurial orientation. Since innovative and entrepreneurial activities have a positive impact on economies worldwide, the authors encourage the adaption of the intervention methods applied in this study in other settings. Originality/value This paper reports the results of a pedagogical intervention aimed at enhancing students’ entrepreneurial mindset. The findings from the study demonstrate that the applied intervention method supports the development of functional skills, which complement the conceptual knowledge gained from other courses in the undergraduate program.

Does entrepreneurship education promote vocational students’ entrepreneurial mindset?

“…The entrepreneurial mindset is linked with the individual's thinking ability, looking for opportunities instead of obstacles, and offering ideas in overcoming solutions rather than complaints ( Naumann, 2017 ; Davis et al., 2016 ). Furthermore, Lindberg et al. (2017) underlined that the mindset of entrepreneurship is acquaintance with individual behavior and entrepreneurial activities.…”

A teaching–learning framework for adaptive instruction using cooperative learning and Socratic questioning to promote self-directed learning: A systematic literature review

“…When teachers guide (instead of leading) the learning process, learners learn to adapt to changing conditions and apply their learning rather than uncritically imitating examples (Powell 2013). This requires teachers to utilise pedagogies that are different from traditional teacher-led teaching, instead requiring them to implement active, learner-centred pedagogies that incorporate creative problem-solving, calculated risk-taking, learning from mistakes, learning-by-doing and interacting with the real world (Lindberg et al 2017;Silén & Uhlin 2008). However, such learning does not just happen; it requires careful planning, and therefore teachers (and by implication, student teachers) need to be educated or prepared so as to enable them to approach teaching and learning in a manner that will support learners to become self-directed learners (Komarkova et al 2015;Nieswandt 2017).…”

Foreword

“…In addition, the so-called experts -who have extensive experience and/or knowledge of entrepreneurship or the SDL process -can contribute meaningfully to the learning content and learning process. The roles of experts are especially valuable as many teachers have limited or no experience or training in entrepreneurship education or the process of SDL Lindberg et al 2017;Marques & Albuquerque 2012;Silén & Uhlin 2008;. Experts can assist in linking learning to real-life experiences and by providing feedback and subsequently, both learners and teachers will gain valuable insights from the experts' mistakes and experiences (Cremers et al 2014;Somby & Johansen 2017;Wilson et al 2009).…”

“…When learners collaborate with their peers, they are exposed to alternative viewpoints to their own and will benefit from the shared knowledge, resources, skills and ideas (Bhattacharjee 2015;Val et al 2017). Teachers fulfil a similar role in entrepreneurship education and in fostering SDL skills, particularly that of facilitator and motivator, which differs from traditional teacher-led pedagogies (Frederiksen 2017;Golightly 2016;Lindberg et al 2017;Täks et al 2014;Toutain & Fayolle 2017;Van der Vleuten et al 2017;Verzat et al 2017).…”

“…The emphasis in both entrepreneurship education and the SDL process should be on learning rather than on teaching (Table 10.1), which necessitates modifications to the way education is approached (Kirkley 2017). These modifications include that teachers become facilitators rather than transmitters of knowledge (Lindberg et al 2017), which will contribute to helping learners become more autonomous, creative, responsible and cooperative in their own learning process (Toutain & Fayolle 2017). In addition, this emphasis on learning will enhance learners' willingness to take calculated risks and to become more confident in novel and changing situations (Lindberg et al 2017;Toutain & Fayolle 2017), which are imperative skills for success in entrepreneurship.…”