A Theoretical Analysis of Entrepreneurship Education: Lessons from Mexico, Chile, and Colombia

Abstract

Entrepreneurship involves the skills and competencies needed to identify, develop, and exploit opportunities in new or existing ventures. Studies have demonstrated that entrepreneurship can be learned and taught; for this reason, universities and educational institutions have increased the number of courses, concentrations, master programs, majors, and PhD programs, seeking a better impact on their students, graduates, and communities. As the knowledge of entrepreneurship has increased, one of the emerging areas of study is the analysis of the methodologies to accomplish better teaching and learning of entrepreneurship.

This chapter introduces entrepreneurship as a discipline and presents its theoretical evolution and impact on education through different educational approaches: the first approach is related to the entrepreneur; the second to the process; the third focuses on cognition; and the fourth approach, determines the education of entrepreneurship as a method, involving new educational techniques for developing skills through practice, action, and reflection. Then, there is an analysis of how three universities in Mexico, Chile, and Colombia use these teaching approaches in their entrepreneurship programs. Finally, there is a reflection on the new perspectives of entrepreneurship education, the stakeholders involved, and the role that universities, educational institutions, and government play in the transformation of entrepreneurship education.

Citation

González-Saucedo, M.d.l.D. and Vélez-Sánchez, D.K. (2022), "A Theoretical Analysis of Entrepreneurship Education: Lessons from Mexico, Chile, and Colombia", Montiel Méndez, O.J. and Alvarado, A.A. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Entrepreneurship in Latin America, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 449-468. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-955-220221025