Empathy and University Students' Business Startups: The Moderating Role of Experiential Learning

Many universities in developing economies are now recognising the role of the university in entrepreneurship education and development of key entrepreneurial skills by students. Consequently many universities in these nations are expanding the curriculum contents of entrepreneurship courses and training to help students develop these key skills. As a student entrepreneur it is important that students are taught the capabilities of instantly thinking outside the box which also involves empathising in order to visualize the various outcomes. Often from these challenges a student entrepreneur can take advantage of opportunities, if they are taught how to engage empathy to clearly see them. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to examine the influence of empathy among university students as a determinant of creation of successful and innovative students' start-ups. The moderating role of experiential learning was also assessed. To achieve this goal, a sample size of 357 students of Covenant University in Nigeria, was used. The data collected were analysed by means of regression analysis and Hayes process macro. The result showed that empathy has positive significant effect on students' start-ups among university students (p < 0.05) and experiential learning moderated the relationship between empathy and students start-ups among university students. Based on the findings the study concluded that university managers and other stakeholders in developing countries may expand entrepreneurship training and education curriculum contents based on the development of empathy as an entrepreneurial skill. The findings also indicated that moderate levels of experiential learning activities are required to achieve best results. Therefore, university managers and other stakeholders may expand the curriculum of entrepreneurship training and education regimes to cover the development of empathy as an entrepreneurial skill. It is important to state that empathy is an entrepreneurial skill that can be developed hence, teaching empathy as a theme targeted at the creation of creative start-ups is considered favourable in this regard.

Entrepreneurship is learned as a course in most universities or colleges across the globe, and Ethiopia is not an exceptional. It is taught to provide students an entrepreneurial skills and knowledge so that they could identify business opportunities, find and gather resources and set up a business to mention a few. However, the impact entrepreneurship education has on university students’ self-employment intention been unclear. The study targeted 2016 graduating class students of Mettu University and Jimma University, Faculty/College of Engineering and Technology, and Business and Economics. To address the issue, primary data were collected from both entrepreneurship students (students who had taken entrepreneurship course- 316 students) and non-entrepreneurship students (students who did not yet take the course-185 students). Having collected data from 501 students, comparison between entrepreneurship and non-entrepreneurship students concerning attitudes towards self-employment, perceived behavior control and self-employment intention were done. In addition, using multiple regressions, impact of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control on self-employment intention also done. Results indicated that participating in an entrepreneurship course or education influence university students’ attitude towards self-employment and self-employment intention. But, it has failed to have an effect on the students’ entrepreneurial skill aspects, indicating that skill components of the entrepreneurship course need to be emphasized in Ethiopian higher learning institutions in order to enable students transform their business idea into reality. Thus, entrepreneurship curriculum needs to be reviewed, and the course should be taught by professionals, university-industry linkage initiatives should be given greater attention and experienced entrepreneurs should be invited to class or workshop in order to impart their experiences to students.

The objective of this study is to describe the entrepreneurial skills in family SMEs in Lubumbashi; then explain the relationship between basic or continuing training in entrepreneurship and these entrepreneurial skills. The main hypothesis is therefore that the degree of possession of entrepreneurial skills among the owners of family SMEs is positively linked to investment in human capital, that is to say to the degree of training achieved in entrepreneurship and the type of training of base received. The key variables of entrepreneurial skills that we have retained are entrepreneurial skills, administrative skills and managerial skills, according to the model of Deeks (1976). The results show that the owners of family SMEs in Lubumbashi have, in a large majority, a low degree of possession of the various skills. The structure of the data showed that the level of education in entrepreneurship is relatively low. It is proportional to the size of the company but inversely proportional to age and years of experience. By confirming the fact that investment in human capital is not the only factor in acquiring entrepreneurial and managerial skills, although it is for administrative skills, our study contributes to improving knowledge of the relationship between entrepreneurship training and entrepreneurial skills development. This suggests that existing theoretical models of the relationship between training and skill development should include other variables such as social, cultural and contextual order as moderating variables.

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to determine guidelines for effective entrepreneurship education and training, focusing on the development of entrepreneurial skills, based on what successful, established entrepreneurs look like, how they operate and their learning and thinking preferences. Problem investigated: Entrepreneurial skills training is the difficult part of teaching entrepreneurship and is different from teaching functional and managerial skills related to entrepreneurship. The problem is that training and education focuses primarily on the management and functional business training of entrepreneurs and very seldom on the entrepreneurial skills. This study focuses on the much neglected second leg of entrepreneurship training, as most entrepreneurship programmes focus on the first leg, namely business planning and functions and management skills. Design/methodology/approach: This is a formal and exploratory study. Two measurement instruments (Schein Career Orientations Inventory and the Neethling Brain Instrument) were used and completed by a sample of 50 entrepreneurs of the identified population. The paper address the entrepreneurship education needs as determined by the learning preferences of entrepreneurs. Findings: The research indicated that all the essential entrepreneurial skills are seldom addressed in entrepreneurial training. The entrepreneurial skills that need to be incorporated in these programmes are self-concept, creativity and innovation, risk orientation, good human relations; perseverance and a positive attitude. The research also revealed that entrepreneurs have different learning preferences from other students / learners and this should be taken into consideration in the design of entrepreneurial curricula. Value of research: The paper assist curriculum developers of entrepreneurship education programmes to better align their content to the entrepreneurial skills identified by successful entrepreneurs that need to be developed, and to conduct entrepreneurship education according to the learning preferences of entrepreneurs. Conclusion: The application of the Garavan and O'Cinneide model regarding the methodology in the education of entrepreneurs can therefore be confirmed and recommended. The results of the career anchor and brain instruments indicate the importance of entrepreneurial skills-training and include training in the following areas : self concept; creativity and innovation; risk orientation; good human relations, perseverance and positive attitude.

Entrepreneurship is related to awareness, ideas, imagination, and effort. Entrepreneurship training is now being carried out in order to increase the extent of entrepreneurial activities. In this regard, when entrepreneurship education practices are examined in many countries, it is seen that students are introduced to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education before they reach high school. In Turkey, entrepreneurship skills are among the basic skills in all curriculum programs since 2005. By establishing relations through images, people build stronger and understandable connections when they encounter a new concept or new knowledge. In this respect, the aim of this study is to reveal pre-service elementary mathematics teachers’ perceptions of entrepreneurship and the skills of the concept from freshmen to seniors in terms of what they know from their previous and current educational experiences and their perceptions about the importance of the concept of entrepreneurship. Twelve pre-service elementary mathematics teachers (6 women and 6 men) from each grade level for a total of 48 pre-service teachers (24 women and 24 men) studying at Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University participated in the study. During the selection process of the participants, only voluntary participants were considered. As a data collection tool, the interview protocol, which included 6 questions and was based on the literature, was prepared by the researcher. Data were collected through interviews, and interviews took approximately 40 minutes for each participant. The content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the collected data. The data were analyzed under headings of the prior knowledge and perceptions of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship skills, the importance of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship skills, the place of entrepreneurship in daily life, and findings about images of entrepreneurship skills. According to the findings of the research, it is concluded that the concepts of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship skills are not sufficiently heard of or recognized among pre-service elementary mathematics teachers. As the image categories of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship skills, 4 image categories and related subcategories were determined for entrepreneurship. For “entrepreneurship skills,” 3 image categories and related subcategories were determined. Entrepreneurship training can be given in entrepreneurship courses or teaching courses in faculties of education. In these courses, not only theoretical knowledge about entrepreneurship skills, which are among the skills that should be acquired by individuals within the scope of lifelong learning, but also studies involving applications can be applied for pre-service teachers. There is no previous study in the literature that reveals the knowledge and images of pre-service elementary mathematics teachers regarding the concepts of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship skills. Therefore, other studies that support the results of this study should be pursued. Article visualizations:

Purpose – Conventional wisdom as well as many studies confirm that entrepreneurship education increases entrepreneurial intention but there is a lack of research on some aspects including conceptual and theoretical development, mechanism of the effect of education and study of regional variations. The paper studies the process of impact of entrepreneurship education and training (EET) on attitudes toward entrepreneurship, perception of social norms, self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data from 601 individuals from Iran is utilized to evaluate the model. The data are reported by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). Binary logistics regression is used to evaluate the effects of variables. Findings – Results show that completion of one entrepreneurship course increases the likelihood of having entrepreneurial intention by 1.3 times. Wald criteria demonstrate that fear of failure, desirability of entrepreneurial career, entrepreneurs’ status in society, self-efficacy and education and training are significant predictors of entrepreneurial intention. Perceived opportunity is not a strong but a moderate predictor. Research limitations/implications – Because of the country-level focus of research, the paper's results may lack generalizability. The paper makes no rigid claim of causality. The causality is likely to be bi-directional. Practical implications – The findings have wider implications for a theory of entrepreneurial intention and also for the practice of teaching entrepreneurship. Higher efficiency of informal training than formal training, failing entrepreneurship education to provide necessary knowledge and skills for nascent entrepreneurs, and not considering the effect of macro socioeconomic conditions call for an immediate pedagogical redesign of EET in Iran. Originality/value – The paper summarizes learning processes and teaching models of entrepreneurship education, matches them with educational theories and makes argument on the mechanism of the effects of education. Then, utilizing empirical data, the paper shows the effectiveness of entrepreneurship training and education initiatives in Iran and propose areas for improvement in the national level based on the summarized educational theories and teaching models.

Entrepreneurship education and training are essential for female entrepreneurs who juggle family expectations, personal life, and new ventures at the same time. Indeed, generic entrepreneurship training may fail to promote understanding in gender literacy and its relationship with creating and managing business entities. To help address gender gaps, this article explores gender issues in the training process for female entrepreneurs, the researcher collected primary data from 28 trainers through personal interviews and secondary data from the 43 training evaluation forms from trainees who participated in the national entrepreneurship training programs in Thailand. The researcher identifies three themes that are related to gender gaps and effectiveness in the entrepreneurship training context. They include (1) gender mainstreaming, (2) gender-sensitive training approaches, and (3) the adoption of proper technology and innovation for female entrepreneurs. Secondary data also confirm that female entrepreneurs in this study address the need for professional development that promotes them to engage in gender competencies, technology, and innovation for new ventures. The opportunity for professional development can be limited by family and social commitments. Engaging with experienced female entrepreneurs and business role models can promote understanding in the three areas among female entrepreneurs. This article outlines a novel approach in synergizing gender issues, training, and entrepreneurship skills. It concludes with some explanations of the relative efficacy of entrepreneurship training that reduces gender gaps for female entrepreneurs.

Rethinking Entrepreneurship Education and Training in Cameroon

The university environment provides a good context for entrepreneurship education. With the vigorous development of entrepreneurship education, educators and scholars have shown increasing interest in the significant role entrepreneurship education plays in higher education. As a result, the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education has quickly become a popular topic. However, it is often not easy to evaluate entrepreneurship education programs, which are designed for medium- and long-term outcomes. It is essential to develop alternative assessment tools that do not traditionally assess only knowledge. The study aims to adapt the multidimensional measurement tool for assessing university students' entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, attitudes, and mindsets. While the scale was translated into Turkish, face and content validity were proved. The data was gathered from 572 university students. Confirmatory factor analyses were employed to assess the construct validity of the measure. The Turkish Entrepreneurship Education Self-Efficiency Scale was obtained with three main dimensions and 38 items. Its Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman-Brown correlation, and composite reliability coefficients are 0.95, 0.86, and 0.98, respectively. Furthermore, the study found that the entrepreneurship education scores of the participants were significantly related to their gender, field of education, volunteering, work experience, experience of starting or running their own business, and entrepreneurship education. The effect size of these variables differs, and the experience with self-employment has the greatest influence on entrepreneurship education.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the synergies, similarities and differences between entrepreneurship and innovation education and training programs, with the aim of challenging the context of such programs.Design/methodology/approach– This study utilises an extensive review of extant literature in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship and education. The literature, propositions and discussion are intended to provide a bridge between entrepreneurship and innovation education and training programs and seek to address the scientific legitimacy of these education and training disciplines as separate, yet integrated disciplines.Findings– Identifies a need to reconsider the diversity and relationship between innovation and entrepreneurship education and training, primarily from contextual, theoretical, measurement, distinctiveness, content, pedagogical and typology points of view. The range of multiple teaching models and learning processes to embrace in various contexts.Research limitations/implications– The propositions allow for the combination of teaching initiatives in a theory-driven framework and their applicability to specific entrepreneurship and innovation education and training situations.Practical implications– The authors’ contribution identifies the synergies and differences between entrepreneurship education and training programs. The propositions highlight areas of contextualisation and practice-based view application, to adopt specific learning initiatives between constructs.Originality/value– The authors address a gap in the literature regarding the delineation of entrepreneurship and innovation education and training, which has thus far remained sparsely addressed in the education and training literature. The authors provide a practice-based view of propositions, developed for future testing.

Purpose of the Study: This study aims to investigate the influence of entrepreneurship education at the university level on the development of students’ entrepreneurial skills, with a particular focus on the potential moderating role of entrepreneurial family background. As entrepreneurship education becomes increasingly prioritized in higher education, understanding how familial entrepreneurial exposure interacts with formal education is crucial for shaping effective curricula. Methodology: Quantitative research approach was adopted, using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The study involved a sample of 189 university students in Padang, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through a validated Likert-scale questionnaire measuring students’ experiences with entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial skills development, and family background characteristics. The analysis was conducted using SmartPLS to explore both direct and moderating effects. Main Findings: The results revealed that entrepreneurship education has a significant positive impact on students’ entrepreneurial skills development. Surprisingly, students’ entrepreneurial family background did not exert a direct influence nor moderate the relationship between education and skills acquisition. The findings emphasize that while family background may offer exposure, formal entrepreneurial training is critical for equipping students with practical and theoretical competencies. Furthermore, a supportive academic environment emerged as a key factor in enhancing students’ entrepreneurial capabilities. Novelty/Originality of this Study: This study introduces a new perspective by exploring the often-overlooked moderating role of family background in the Indonesian context. It offers empirical evidence that challenges assumptions about the primacy of family influence, reinforcing the necessity of structured entrepreneurship education to nurture future entrepreneurs in diverse socio-cultural settings.

Entrepreneurship education in Chinese colleges and universities began in the early 21st century. After more than 20 years of development, it has reached an unprecedented scale. At present, there are many studies on entrepreneurship education for undergraduates in Chinese colleges and universities, but only a few general studies on entrepreneurship education in higher vocational education. Particularly, the analysis of the status quo of students’ entrepreneurship education and the research on the improvement of entrepreneurship education has not yet been widely discussed. This research adopted the semi-structured interview method and used purposive sampling to select 8 students with entrepreneurial willingness in lower grades and 8 in upper grades of higher vocational art and design in the Guangzhou area, as well as 8 students who have succeeded in entrepreneurship after graduation, giving a total of 24 students. The interview was designed based on the concept of Entrepreneurial Thought and Action (ET&amp;A) entrepreneurship education. The interview outline was derived from the three aspects of learning, action, and creation. After the interviews were conducted, coding and qualitative analysis were performed to identify the knowledge and skills required by art students in higher vocational colleges to establish a business, and the problems encountered by successful students in entrepreneurship that might be encountered in the future. Based on the conclusions, the method and content of entrepreneurship education in schools could be improved. In addition, the research results showed that to fulfill the aim of entrepreneurship, art and design students in higher vocational colleges need to learn knowledge and skills such as entrepreneurial courses, professional knowledge, and entrepreneurial skills (competition, training, simulation, practice, etc.). Meanwhile, students who had succeeded in entrepreneurship believed that it was necessary to improve the entrepreneurship education curriculum system, pay attention to entrepreneurship practice teaching, and strengthen the linkage between home, school, and enterprise to promote entrepreneurship learning, thereby enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship ability.

This paper examines the effect of entrepreneurship education and training on entrepreneurial skills of ecopreneurship students at public vocational secondary schools. This study applied a quantitative research method using analysis regression model to examine the relationship between variables. The population of the study was students in the second grade of vocational school in Jakarta, and the sample was about 200 students gathered using purposive random sampling. The data was taken using a questionnaire following a Likert scale. The findings showed that there is a correlation between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneurship training positively affects entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship training have an influence on entrepreneurial skills based on students’. Based on these findings, schools are expected to improve the quality of learning through more innovative entrepreneurial materials oriented towards ecopreneurship to enhance students’ entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, schools are expected to hire experienced training mentors in the field of environment-based entrepreneurship so that the training will be of a higher standard.

For many decades, the healthcare sector has been playing catchup with other industries in terms of innovation, primarily due to the low number of healthcare professionals with innovation and entrepreneurship skills in the workplace. The lack of innovation skills, particularly among pharmacists, may result from the fact that innovation and entrepreneurship training is not an integral part of most pharmacy core curricula. In fact, a limited number of pharmacy schools offer innovation and entrepreneurship courses either as part of a joint MBA/PharmD degree or as a certificate. These programs differ greatly from each other in their curricular content, although their overall goals are to teach future pharmacists the skills required to manage service delivery, oversee budgets, improve efficiency, control costs and continuously achieve quality improvement. The aim of this article is twofold: first, to assess commonalities and differences in curricular content between entrepreneurship and innovation training programs in the USA and, second, to present a set of must-haves for innovation and entrepreneurship curricular content for core curricula in pharmacy.

PurposeHaving a varied set of skills is essential for becoming and succeeding in entrepreneurship, and developing students’ entrepreneurial skills is a key objective of entrepreneurship education programs at universities worldwide. Moreover, measuring the learning outcomes of education is essential for designing effective training. This review provides a framework of the variety of skills measured in the entrepreneurship education literature.Design/methodology/approachWe reviewed the entrepreneurship education literature and identified 79 studies that used skill-related measures. We identified, grouped, and operationalized entrepreneurial skills related to the entrepreneurial tasks of sensing, acting, and mobilizing under uncertain conditions.FindingsWe synthesized the current knowledge related to developing various entrepreneurial skills and provided a framework of ten types of entrepreneurship-related skills measured in prior studies of entrepreneurship education initiatives. We showed that entrepreneurship education develops various skills relevant to entrepreneurship and other concepts, indicating the value of entrepreneurship education for increasing students’ general skill level.Originality/valueOur framework provides a valuable tool for discussing what skills-related training should be included in entrepreneurship education curricula and how the learning outcomes from entrepreneurship education can be measured. Focusing on students’ entrepreneurial skills is closer to entrepreneurial action than intentions or mindsets, and skills are a more realis-tic and inclusive outcome of entrepreneurship education than start-up rates and self-employment. Thus, entrepreneurial skills are a useful concept for clarifying and measuring the specific learning outcomes of entrepreneurship education.