Contextual factors influencing entrepreneurship education at a South African University of Technology

Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Contextual factors influencing entrepreneurship education at a South African University of Technology
 
Creator Price, Kariema Ronnie, Linda
 
Subject Entrepreneurship; education; higher education entrepreneurship education; entrepreneurship; educators; higher education; University of Technology
Description Background: Entrepreneurship education (EE) occupies a particularly critical space in the development strategies of emerging market countries where entrepreneurs and small businesses are required to drive economic growth and job creation. In South Africa, universities of technology (UoT), which provide vocation-focussed tertiary education, are considered vital vehicles of EE.Aim: Institutions and educators are challenged by the limited research around EE content and pedagogy, particularly outside of the business school context. This study seeks to address these research gaps within the South African economic context by examining EE courses at a UoT.Setting: This study examined 14 entrepreneurship courses offered across 11 disciplines at one South African UoT.Methods: A qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews with 10 educators was conducted to explore how they design and deliver their EE courses.Results: The study found three contextual factors that influence the way educators design and deliver EE courses: (1) the needs of the student: the systemic nature of their experiences, (2) the quality of teaching materials: the limited relevance of the content, and (3) the background of the educators: their experience with entrepreneurship and industry.Conclusion: In examining these key contextual factors, this study highlights the challenges that locally higher education institutions face in designing the courses that are effective at promoting entrepreneurship locally. It also showcases the prominent role that educators play in solving problems, addressing challenges, and ensuring that EE contributes to a broader economic agenda by bringing their own passion, educational expertise, and practical knowledge to the classroom.
 
Publisher AOSIS Publishing
 
Contributor none
Date 2021-09-30
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Interview
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajesbm.v13i1.394
 
Source The Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management; Vol 13, No 1 (2021); 11 pages 2071-3185 2522-7343
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/394/576 https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/394/577 https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/394/578 https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/394/579
 
Coverage South Africa Current n/a
Rights Copyright (c) 2021 Kariema Price, Linda Ronnie https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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