1. Student Reflections of the Difficulties Associated With Taking Entrepreneurial Action.
- Author
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Lynch, Matthew, Andersson, Gunnar, and Johansen, Frode Ramstad
- Subjects
ACHIEVEMENT gains (Education) ,ENTREPRENEURSHIP education ,NEW business enterprises ,THEATER students ,STUDENTS - Abstract
Entrepreneurship education has become a popular topic, with a diverse field of enquiry examining how best to teach the topic to aspiring entrepreneurs. There is general consensus that having students engage in real-world entrepreneurial activities is a positive pedagogical approach. Observing students engage in attempts to start their own businesses as part of a bachelor level programme has revealed that many of the students struggle to take the necessary steps to successfully launch a business and often become ‘stuck’ at some point or reluctant to take further action to enable their businesses to grow. Students confirm that they know what needs to be done in their nascent businesses, but struggle to take the required action. The issue lies not in their knowledge of what to do, but in a reluctance to act. Therefore, this article explores from the point of the student their perceived reasons for not engaging in additional entrepreneurial activities. It aims to highlights the fears, resistance and demotivating factors that play a role in influencing students decision to act entrepreneurially. The paper highlight areas where educators can focus their energy and efforts to enable students to have more constructive learning experiences. The paper is based on qualitative interviews with 20 students. The data comes from a singular course at a bachelors level course in Norway, and does not seek to provide conclusive evidence or a taxonomy of all the reasons that stall student progress. Instead, the article provides an exploration of key themes that can be used to guide future research on the topic of student experiences with practical pedagogical approaches to entrepreneurship. While much has been written on the positives of having students engage in entrepreneurial activity, this article sheds light on the areas for improvement and the difficulties associated with having students start their own business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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