Handbook of Research in Entrepreneurship Education – Volume 1: A General Perspective

Citation

Matlay, H. (2008), "Handbook of Research in Entrepreneurship Education – Volume 1: A General Perspective", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 419-421. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626000810871772

This volume opens with a Foreword by Professor Jerome Katz in which the author introduces readers to the Third Wave of Entrepreneurship Education. It is an informative and well written feature that succinctly conceptualises and contextualises the current wave of research in entrepreneurship education. The first chapter, by Jill Kickul and Alain Fayolle provides a grounded introduction to the volume. The authors stress the importance of traditional and non‐traditional methods of teaching and enhancing the skills and abilities of entrepreneurs. They outline the many ways in which educators and universities can approach, design and implement various aspects of entrepreneurship education and related curricula. There are 15 further chapters, divided equally in three parts: Part I: Changing Paradigms; Part II: Renewing Methods; and Part III: Understanding Contents.

Part I of this volume incorporates five interesting chapters, which aim to expand our knowledge of the paradigms that form the basis of entrepreneurship education field. David Kirby provides a well researched overview of recent shifts in entrepreneurship education paradigms and the reason why governments across the world are keen to produce more and more entrepreneurs. Interestingly, he concludes with the statement that many researchers choose to begin, that there is still no common agreement on the definition of entrepreneurship education. The author recommends that in addition to teaching students about entrepreneurship, they should also be educated for entrepreneurship by placing the curriculum in a “real world” context. The chapter authored by Daniel Hjorth and Bengt Johannisson focuses upon learning as an entrepreneurial process. The authors provide an overview of entrepreneurial learning within various entrepreneurship education paradigms. Alan Gibb' contribution concentrates on the need to develop effective policies to promote and support entrepreneurship in universities. He identifies two major challenges facing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): firstly, the need for agreement on the concept of entrepreneurship, and secondly, the quest for an appropriate method to change universities and empower them to engage in entrepreneurship. In the next chapter, Kevin Hindle offers a challenging question: is entrepreneurship education being offered in the right building? Throughout the chapter, he asks several pertinent questions and attempts to provide well informed and argued answers. The author concludes that perhaps a “reciprocal apprenticeship” involving most, if not all stakeholders might be the way forward. In the last chapter of Part I, Zelimir Todorovic explores a university's ability to teach entrepreneurship in the context of entrepreneurial orientation. He argues that there are two main components to entrepreneurship education: static (theory) and dynamic (applied knowledge). Consequently, and in order to become more effective in delivering entrepreneurship education, HEIs need to be more entrepreneurial, by becoming more innovative, proactive and risk tolerant.

Part II of this volume engages in reviewing various methods of entrepreneurship education. In this context, Camille Carrier focuses on various strategies for teaching entrepreneurship. She provides an inventory of less traditional approaches to entrepreneurship education and evaluates their effectiveness. A stimulating and challenging perspective is provided by Denise Fletcher, whose approach is grounded in social constructionist thinking. She proposes curriculum design and delivery through joint acts, co‐ordination and interactions that reflect entrepreneurial activities. In the next chapter, the concept and context of experiential entrepreneurship education is outlined by Peter Robinson and Sandra Malach. The authors promote inter‐disciplinary clinical education as an optimal experiential entrepreneurship learning experience. Alain Fayolle, Benoit Gailly and Narjisse Lassas‐Clerc propose a new methodology to assess entrepreneurship education programmes. This chapter answers many questions but also raises new, even more pertinent queries in relation to the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in shaping student attitudes. The quest for better diagnosis and resolution of cross‐cultural and gender challenges represents the topic of the last chapter in Part II. Bonita Betters‐Reed, Linda Moore and Laurie Hunt propose a change model for research in entrepreneurship education that is based on a multidimensional approach.

Part III opens with an article by Gerald Hills, Claes Hultman and Morgan Miles on teaching entrepreneurial marketing at university. The authors make a case for evolving the teaching of entrepreneurial marketing to match the changing needs of smaller firms. In the next chapter, Francisco Linan reviews the role of entrepreneurship education in the entrepreneurial process. The author creates a complex model which clarifies the role and impact that entrepreneurship education can have in creating more and better equipped entrepreneurs. Chapter 14 evaluates entrepreneurship education and training and draws implications for programme design. Colette Henry, Frances Hill and Claire Leitch offer a research framework that informs the structure and evaluation process of relevant entrepreneurship education and training programmes. In the next chapter, Jean‐Pierre Bechard and Denis Gregoire critically review a number of archetypes of pedagogical innovation for entrepreneurship in HEIs. Their model and illustrations are both interesting and useful in gauging theoretical as well as practical developments in this growing field of academic enquiry. The authors suggest that ultimately, the test of the quality of innovation in entrepreneurship education remains its successful transfer into practice. In the final chapter, Paula Kyro and Annukka Tapani outline their approach to learning and acquiring risk‐taking competences. Their research has established that students undergoing entrepreneurship education can learn the basics of risk‐taking. This, the authors conclude, evidence the fact that that risk‐taking can be taught and related competences could be learnt.

This volume is an excellent general overview of current research in Entrepreneurship Education. There is just one minor suggestion that I would like to offer: a final, conclusion and recommendations chapter would have been useful in drawing together the relevant learning and research aspects of this volume and make relevant recommendations for further research. I would gladly recommend this book to various stakeholders, such as policy makers, researchers, educators and their students and to all those who are interested in entrepreneurship in general and entrepreneurship education in particular. There is no doubt in my mind that all of them would find its content useful in furthering their knowledge and experience of entrepreneurship education at its best.