Identity work of academic teachers in an entrepreneurship training camp: a sensemaking approach

Abstract

PurposeThis paper investigates how academic teachers engage in identity work and make sense of entrepreneurship and academia in an entrepreneurship training programme.Design/methodology/approachBy employing a sensemaking approach, the paper inductively analyses materials from a business idea development camp organised for academic teachers.FindingsIn collective sensemaking during the camp, non-academic facilitators strongly influenced the reflection-in-experience via normative ideas of entrepreneurship and their othering of entrepreneurship from academic work. In their post-camp individual essays, the academic teachers reflect-on-experience and draw parallels between entrepreneurship and academic work constructing sameness.Research limitations/implicationsLongitudinal research is needed in identity work and sensemaking among academic teachers in relation to entrepreneurship.Practical implicationsUniversities need to offer arenas for teachers and other faculty to support identity work and sensemaking.Originality/valueThis study generates new understanding of how academic teachers engage in identity work and make sense of entrepreneurship in training when interacting with others. It underscores the importance of time needed for reflection-on-action.

Entrepreneurship educators: a configurational analysis of factors influencing pedagogical choices

“…(2001) statement, who argue that if the educators' teaching practices need to be changed, the teaching conceptions must be changed first. Peura and Hytti (2022, p. 12) also argue that “especially in a multidisciplinary university, there is a need for a variety of pedagogies and contents in events to expose teachers to entrepreneurship from different perspectives in order to facilitate authenticity and relevance”.…”

“…A recent study links educator identity, sensemaking and training and argues that educators are sensemaking and co-constructing meanings in relation to teaching entrepreneurship (Peura and Hytti, 2022). The authors posit that educators can make sense of entrepreneurship and engage in identity development through an entrepreneurial training camp (Peura and Hytti, 2022).…”

“…A recent study links educator identity, sensemaking and training and argues that educators are sensemaking and co-constructing meanings in relation to teaching entrepreneurship (Peura and Hytti, 2022). The authors posit that educators can make sense of entrepreneurship and engage in identity development through an entrepreneurial training camp (Peura and Hytti, 2022). But training in terms of entrepreneurship must be feasible for the educator; hence, seeing a “connection between their disciplinary teaching and entrepreneurship teaching” (Peura and Hytti, 2022).…”

“…The authors posit that educators can make sense of entrepreneurship and engage in identity development through an entrepreneurial training camp (Peura and Hytti, 2022). But training in terms of entrepreneurship must be feasible for the educator; hence, seeing a “connection between their disciplinary teaching and entrepreneurship teaching” (Peura and Hytti, 2022). Nonetheless, entrepreneurship training is a way to broaden the possibilities for offering entrepreneurship courses to more students from different disciplines (Teerijoki and Murdocj, 2014).…”

Exploring sustainable entrepreneurial intentions through the lens of theory of planned behaviour: a PLS-SEM approach

“…In the same manner, the TPB was chosen in this study for two reasons: first, its statistical robustness has been established in multiple studies; and, second, because of its ability to characterise nearly any action, it has been employed in various study disciplines (Arafat et al, 2020). Many empirical types of research have examined TPB's key constructs' direct impact, but additional aspects still need to be investigated to help explain entrepreneurial inclinations (Hueso et al, 2021;Peura and Hytti, 2023). In the context of SEI, TPB has also been attempted in previous works by Vuorio et al (2018) and Maresch et al (2016).…”