International entrepreneurship education for pre-service teachers: a longitudinal study

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore whether participating in an entrepreneurship education programme with short-term international placements can help pre-service teachers to identifying the characteristics of entrepreneurial competence from a wide definition of entrepreneurship (Lackéus, 2015) rather than from a business centred definition, to be developed by entrepreneur teachers.Design/methodology/approachA three-year longitudinal qualitative study was carried out. In-depth interviews were conducted using open-ended questions with 17 pre-service teachers from the University of Deusto (Spain). They were participating in a European project with short-term international placements at five different European higher education institutions.FindingsThere is no consensual definition of the term entrepreneurship, which varies depending on the context. Entrepreneurship could be considered to be both a mindset and a lifestyle. The characteristics of entrepreneurs that were mentioned the most included: being creative, team players, open-minded, innovative, passionate, motivated, hard-working and risk-takers; being able to overcome challenges; having initiative; being proactive, organised and persevering; having leadership skills, communication skills, the ability to adapt; having a positive attitude and, being decision-makers. Short-term placements contribute to personal development, improved foreign language competence, increased awareness and understanding of other cultures, and acquiring entrepreneurship competence.Originality/valueResearch on the characteristics of teacherpreneurs is still in its early stages. The vast majority of studies focus on entrepreneurs and teachers of entrepreneurship education programmes aimed at those who wish to start up new businesses. This study contributes to a better understanding of the term entrepreneurship, to identifying the current characteristics of teacherpreneurs, and to outline certain variables that could be considered during pre-service teachers training plans. It also proposes further research into in-service teacherpreneur education.

Entrepreneurship Competence in Pre-Service Teachers Training Degrees at Spanish Jesuit Universities: A Content Analysis Based on EntreComp and EntreCompEdu

“…Another striking feature is the fact that none of the universities analyzed incorporate the competencies Motivation and perseverance (E2.2), Financial and economic literacy (E2.4), and Coping with uncertainty, ambiguity, and risk (E3.3), in addition to the competencies of EDU area 4 (Assessment) listed above, i.e., Checking and reporting progress (EDU4.1), Sharing feedback (EDU4.2), and Recognising progress and achievement (EDU4.3). These data do not match the studies that establish motivation, perseverance, or coping with uncertainty as characteristics of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs such as teacherpreneurs [2,11,15,51,52]. We cannot forget either that these are inherent to Jesuit universities.…”

Irish and Turkish pre-service teachers understanding and perceptions of enterprise education

“…The data shows relative consistency between cohorts' perceptions in this regard. Both Irish and Turkish participants identified key attributes, behaviours and skills outlined earlier ( Rae, 2007 ; Burduş, 2010 ; Kirby, 2007 ; Seelig, 2012 ; Caird, 1991 ; Gibb, 2007 ; Hegarty and Jones, 2008 ; Arruti and Paños-Castro, 2020 ) such as: drive, creativity and interpersonal skills, as essential elements of being enterprising, while using slightly different language for each. In one sense, these similarities are not surprising, with Arruit and Panos-Castro (2020) finding pre-service teachers frequently mentioned traits such as creativity and risk taking.…”

“…Both Irish and Turkish participants identified key attributes, behaviours and skills outlined earlier ( Rae, 2007 ; Burduş, 2010 ; Kirby, 2007 ; Seelig, 2012 ; Caird, 1991 ; Gibb, 2007 ; Hegarty and Jones, 2008 ; Arruti and Paños-Castro, 2020 ) such as: drive, creativity and interpersonal skills, as essential elements of being enterprising, while using slightly different language for each. In one sense, these similarities are not surprising, with Arruit and Panos-Castro (2020) finding pre-service teachers frequently mentioned traits such as creativity and risk taking. What makes the data valuable is that it suggests pre-service teachers in both contexts can identify key transferable skills associated with being enterprising, articulate their meaning, and understand the benefits of developing these skills for use in a variety of contexts, including their own.…”

“…However, recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reviews of institutional support of entrepreneurship across member states recommend increased participation and engagement from students across the subject spectrum, arguing that enterprise education should be expanded across all subject disciples and move away from a solely business focus ( OECD, 2017a ; OECD, 2017b ; OECD, 2017c ; OECD, 2018 ; OECD, 2019a ; OECD, 2019b ). Relevant literature examining the views of pre-service teachers remains particularly low ( Arruti and Panos-Castro, 2020 ). Studies by Tiernan (2016) and Deveci (2016) have looked at pre-service teachers' attitudes and perceptions of enterprise and entrepreneurship, findings indicated that while pre-service teachers did display an understanding of these concepts, further work was needed to develop their knowledge of enterprise education and how this applies to their role as educators.…”

“…Additionally, Arruti and Panos-Castro (2020) investigated whether participating in an entrepreneurship education program with short-term international placements would help pre-service teachers in primary education degrees. Our research will contribute to the literature in the area by determining the perceptions of pre-service teachers from different cultural backgrounds, to enterprise education.…”