Entrepreneurial competencies and employment status of business graduates: the role of experiential entrepreneurship pedagogy

Abstract

This study examines the relationship among experiential entrepreneurship pedagogy, entrepreneurial competencies and employment status of business graduates in two European countries. A proposed model relies on the adapted Bloom's taxonomy, human capital theory, and experiential learning theory. The model examines knowledge, skills, and attitudes as competencies, and relates them to the two forms of employment status: nascent intrapreneurship and early-stage entrepreneurial activity. These interrelationships are tested closely considering a dominant pedagogical approach to teaching entrepreneurshiptraditional or experiential. The study is based on a cross-sectional survey of 454 graduates from Bachelor-level business programmes delivered at eight higher education institutions (four in each country); and on 16 semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurship educators, who taught the surveyed graduates. The findings highlight that experiential pedagogy can be indeed more effective for developing all three entrepreneurial competencies, while traditional pedagogy might still be suitable for theoretical knowledge about entrepreneurship. Furthermore, experiential pedagogy moderates the relationship between different competencies and the employment status of graduates. This contingency on the pedagogy type is crucial implying a combination of traditional and experiential teaching methods to balance the effects of entrepreneurship education. RÉSUMÉ Cette etude examine la relation entre la p edagogie exp erientielle de l'entrepreneuriat, les comp etences entrepreneuriales et le statut d'emploi des diplôm es en commerce dans deux pays europ eens. Le mod ele propos e repose sur la taxonomie adapt ee de Bloom, la th eorie du capital humain et la th eorie de l'apprentissage exp erientiel. Le mod ele examine les connaissances, les aptitudes et les attitudes en tant que comp etences, et les relie aux deux formes de statut d'emploi: l'intrapreneuriat naissant et ARTICLE HISTORY

Usefulness of Practice-Based Pedagogical Approaches for Nascent Student Entrepreneurs

“…Knowledge refers to students' understanding level and ability to recall, interpret and apply the concepts they have learned during the program (Bloom et al, 1956;Krathwohl, 2002;Krathwohl et al, 1964). This variable was measured using the "level of knowledge" subscale of the entrepreneurial competencies scale recently used by Kozlinska et al (2020), which is based on the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS), a well-known study on entrepreneurial intentions of university students conducted in more than 35 countries (Sieger et al, 2014). The initial scale consists of five items, each containing a statement about the level of knowledge on specific topics related to entrepreneurship.…”

Examining teamwork competencies and team performance in experiential entrepreneurship education: emergent intragroup conflict as a learning triggering event

“…Academics and policymakers widely recognise entrepreneurship education as a vehicle to promote new venture development and advance critical competencies to thrive in complex, interdependent, and dynamic environments (Birdthistle et al, 2016;Peschl et al, 2021). From the theoretical perspective of constructivism and pragmatic educational approaches (Kolb, 1984), there is a wide consensus that entrepreneurship education programs should build upon experiential and action-oriented theories and pedagogies (Bell and Bell, 2016;H€ agg and Gabrielsson, 2020;Lack eus, 2020;Kozlinska et al, 2020). Based on this perspective, the entrepreneurial learning that takes place during new venture creation can be simulated through experiential and collaborative educational interventions (Pittaway and Cope, 2007).…”

“…, 2021). From the theoretical perspective of constructivism and pragmatic educational approaches (Kolb, 1984), there is a wide consensus that entrepreneurship education programs should build upon experiential and action-oriented theories and pedagogies (Bell and Bell, 2016; Hägg and Gabrielsson, 2020; Lackéus, 2020; Kozlinska et al. , 2020).…”

Music education in adolescence – A pathway to entrepreneurial identity?

“…It is commonly expected that EE develops entrepreneurial competencies. Whilst the evidence on this outcome varies, depending, among other things, on the design of EE (Kozlinska et al, 2020; Oosterbeek et al, 2010), EE lays the foundations for identity development early on and its effects can emerge later, even if an individual does not become an entrepreneur or does not encounter entrepreneurship outside educational settings. The perception or feeling of identification with some aspects of being entrepreneurial may develop in other areas through learning transfer effects.…”

“…The evidence in the literature on the impact of EE is ample though not always unidirectional, especially with regard to entrepreneurial intentions (Nabi et al, 2017). Intentions remain the most widespread measure of the impact of EE impact, followed by entrepreneurial competencies such as skills and attitudes (Kozlinska et al, 2020; Nabi et al, 2017). Relatively few authors have studied the interplay between EE and entrepreneurial identity – among them are Lundqvist et al (2015), Donnellon et al (2014) and Harmeling (2011).…”