Focus point: the need for alternative insight into the entrepreneurial education paradigm

Abstract

There is widespread consensus that traditional instructional pedagogical methods are not sufficient to adequately prepare and educate entrepreneurship students. The growing need to consider alternative pedagogical perspectives in terms of how we engage with and study entrepreneurship from diverse perspectives is essential if the field is to develop, by challenging current boundaries established as a result of dominant functionalist paradigms. The above viewpoint is not simply a question of thinking about a new pedagogical technique but rather involves re-conceptualizing how entrepreneurial educators/students are co-constructors of the learning experience. The paper seeks to respond to calls for entrepreneurial education methods which utilize experiential learning to draw recognition on how we engage with and make sense of everyday practices. It does this by exploring the use of practice theory to develop more insight into how, through pedagogical means, one can create the opportunity for a student to engage in meaningful learning.

Il existe un large consensus selon lequel les méthodes pédagogiques et didactiques traditionnelles sont insuffisantes pour garantir une préparation et une éducation adéquates aux étudiants en entrepreneuriat. La nécessité grandissante d'une prise en compte de points de vue différents sur la manière de s'engager dans l'entrepreneuriat et de l’étudier, à partir de perspectives diverses, est essentielle au développement potentiel de ce domaine, en ce sens qu'elle remet en question les frontières actuelles qui sont la conséquence des paradigmes fonctionnalistes dominants. Le point de vue présenté ci-dessus n'est pas simplement une incitation à réfléchir à une nouvelle technique pédagogique. Il a plutôt pour implication une nouvelle conceptualization de la manière dont les éducateurs/étudiants construisent l'expérience de l'apprentissage. L'article se donne pour objectif de répondre aux appels à l'adoption de méthodes d’éducation entrepreneuriale qui s'appuient sur l'apprentissage expérientiel, afin de susciter la reconnaissance de la manière dont nous nous engageons dans les pratiques de tous les jours, et leur donnons du sens. Dans cet objectif, il explore l'utilisation de la théorie de la pratique pour mieux éclairer la manière dont on peut, à travers des moyens pédagogiques, créer des opportunités d'engagement dans un apprentissage pertinent pour les étudiants.

Keywords:

• Practice-based learning
• social learning
• entrepreneurial education

Mots-clés:

• Apprentissage basé sur la pratique
• Apprentissage social
• Éducation entrepreneuriale

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Higgins

David Higgins has worked extensively within the HE sector across the UK. His teaching roles have primarily been on post-graduate and post-experience master's programs of study. Through his research and teaching interests, David has developed a strong awareness for the importance of using innovative forms of teaching and research. This has been supported through three Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) bursary awards which he received in 2008, 2010 and 2012. His primary teaching duties are in the areas of DBA supervision and research methods.

Deema Refai

Deema Refai is a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at the Business School. Before that, she worked as research assistant for the Emerging Markets Research Group (EMERGE) at the School, following completion of her PhD degree from the University of Huddersfield. She started her academic career in 2006 when she took a managerial role at an HEI in Saudi Arabia as the quality assurance director at the College of Business Administration in Jeddah, where she worked closely with accreditation bodies and auditors from various parts of the world, in addition to her success in setting standards and a documentation system at the College. Besides her role in quality, she was also a lecturer at the College, and was assigned as the leader for the strategic marketing and sales management modules.

Diene Keita

Diene Keita is currently a PhD degree student at the University of Liverpool Management School. Prior to this, she completed her MSc degree in entrepreneurship.