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Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is two-fold; first, to explore the Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education (SPEED) programme, which aims to help students gain real business start-up experience whilst at university and second to examine the impact of SPEED on the students. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; For the first part of the paper, the author explores the SPEED programme in the context of |!|#34;experiential learning|!|#34;. Second, the |!|#34;critical incident technique|!|#34; approach is explored and found to be a suitable approach towards obtaining |!|#34;real-life|!|#34; insights into students|!|#39; business start-up experience. Findings |!|#8211; The paper finds that the |!|#34;experiential learning|!|#34; approach and all |!|#34;critical incidents|!|#34; have been valuable learning experiences for the students on SPEED. SPEED has provided a platform for students to gain the experience, knowledge and confidence to either set up a business or use their new-found experiences to succeed in securing a job upon graduation. Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; As this programme is delivered across 13 higher education institutions in the UK, there is a need for further research on SPEED and for comparisons to be drawn for future practice. Originality/value |!|#8211; This paper provides an insight into student entrepreneurs within a university context, a relatively unexplored area. The results also indicate the value of |!|#34;experience|!|#34; and the |!|#34;experiential learning|!|#34; approach within an enterprise programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the issues experienced in the delivery of a business challenge to a cohort of business undergraduate students at the University of Glamorgan. The challenge involved initiating and running a "real" business and returning a profit within a week. The students worked in groups of up to eight and were given start up capital. The paper seeks to evaluate the impact of the business challenge in terms of changing entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviour, and to examine the skills competencies acquired by the individual students. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a mixed method approach to examine the respondent experience. The basis of the investigation involved a semi-structured questionnaire undertaken on completion of the challenge. In total, in excess of 50 students completed the research instrument. The questionnaire enabled the authors to quantitatively explore the overall impact of the business challenge by student age and gender. In addition, the semi structured design enabled the authors to explore the qualitative "rich data" of individual student experience based on their reflections. Findings – The findings reveal a positive impact in terms of enhanced attitudes towards the attainability and attractiveness of an entrepreneurial career. The findings reveal that the business challenge provided the students with a significant enhancement in generic enterprise skills including team working, leadership, communication and specific business skills such as sales and marketing behaviour. The students valued the opportunity and personal responsibility offered by the business challenge to apply their theoretical knowledge in a real world context. Several individuals reported that the positive experience with their business venture meant that they wished to continue the business alongside their graduate studies. Originality/value – The paper contributes to a limited literature in assessing the impact and benefit of business challenges. It will be of value to enterprise education providers in organising and planning such activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to explore the choices learners have in steering their way through the educational system in the UK. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; The paper draws on data from two studies, one conducted in a state secondary school and the other in a Further Education College, both based in the north-west of England. Both used interviews (either individual or focus-group) to collect data, which were then analysed using a grounded approach. Findings |!|#8211; In linking the two studies the authors highlight how the impact of symbolic violence and the relations between groups and classes at school continue into the |!|#34;choices|!|#34; the learners make during adulthood and also into the learner|!|#39;s working life, and that these |!|#34;choices|!|#34; are often a large-scale consequence of many |!|#34;micro-choices|!|#34; arising from day-to-day situations. The acts of symbolic violence described in the college group are not of themselves very different from those described by the school group, though the consequences for the school group cannot yet be known. Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; The participants in the two groups are unconnected in that they attend different institutions and are at very different stages of their education. However the authors contend that there is a connection in terms of the participants|!|#39; experience of symbolic violence. Originality/value |!|#8211; The paper draws attention to the existence of symbolic violence in everyday school life, and highlights how these instances can have significant impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how a UK business school is addressing the Government|!|#39;s skills strategy through its Graduate Certificate in Management, and to identify good practice and development needs and to clarify how the Graduate Certificate is adapting to the needs of Generation X and Millennial students. The paper also aims to test Kolb and Kolb|!|#39;s experiential learning theory (ELT) in a business school setting. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; A case study methodology was adopted. In order to get a cross-section of views and triangulate the data, three focus groups were held, supported by reading documentation about the programme of study. Findings |!|#8211; The skills strategy is not just an ambition for some business schools, but is already part of the curriculum. Generation X and the Millennials have more in common with the positive attitudes associated with older generations than stereotyped views might allow. ELT provides a useful theoretical framework for evaluating a programme of study and student attitudes. Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; The research findings from one case study are reported, limiting the generalisability of the study. Practical implications |!|#8211; Good practice and development needs are identified which support the implementation of the Government|!|#39;s skills strategy and address employer concerns about student skills. Originality/value |!|#8211; New empirical data are reported which supports the use of ELT in evaluating programmes of study and student attitudes to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the university course trajectories of students from entry to a 3-year full-time undergraduate programme, to graduation with an honours degree, in the light of their self-reported motivations to study. This small-scale investigation took place at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI). Design/methodology/approach – A small-scale survey using the Academic Motivation (to study) Scale was administered to 102 students on entry to a full-time undergraduate degree course in an interdisciplinary information-based department in a UK HEI. The students' motivation profiles were assessed in relation to their trajectory through the degree course and selected students were interviewed just prior to graduation. Findings – The report focuses on the pattern of student motivations – in general students who achieved "good" degrees were likely to have lower motivation and students achieving "not so good" degrees were likely to self-report higher levels of both autonomous and controlled motivations. Whilst the small sample size and individual variation may partly explain these results, interviews with a small number of participants allowed some further explication of these patterns. Research limitations/implications – Because of the complexity of variables potentially involved in studies relating to motivation, the focus of this study was practitioner reflection. Thus, it examines self-reported motivations measured on a established scale and "success' in terms of progression and attainment. The research findings were from a small cohort study in a convenience sample of 102 students in a particular context, so there are necessarily limits on the generalisability of the study. Practical implications – Elements around student achievement and progression related to their motivation are identified, and may contribute to effective design of learning experiences that students "can be arsed" to engage in. Originality/value – New empirical data are reported which provide an insight into student attitudes to study and the applicability of teacher responses, which are briefly discussed in relation to socio-cognitive and socio-cultural perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]