Connecting the dots: A discussion on key concepts in contemporary entrepreneurship education
ISSN: 0040-0912
Article publication date: 8 August 2016
Issue publication date: 8 August 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to justify, elaborate and elucidate the concepts of action, experience and reflection, and how they are intertwined when discussing contemporary entrepreneurship education. These concepts have been given a meaning in entrepreneurship education, but have not been discussed in-depth, and by that have been abridged in meaning and purpose, and mostly been treated in isolation from each other.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is conceptual and takes its starting point in the historical development of the field and discusses the concepts, from philosophical roots and their application, in entrepreneurship education.
Findings
Neither of the discussed concepts are enough to generate learning one by one, as they are intertwined within the learning process that aims to generate knowledge. From this perspective, an understanding of how these concepts work, both individually and in synergy, is of importance for entrepreneurship education.
Research limitations/implications
The discussion presented in this paper may be a starting point for future empirical studies on entrepreneurial learning, by developing the meaning of action, reflections and experience, or by trying to conceptualize them.
Practical implications
The study indicates that entrepreneurship education should not concentrate only on one dimension of the entrepreneurial learning process, as for example, on actions, but should try to combine all of its discussed elements.
Originality/value
By exploring the origins and developments around the concepts, the paper brings a deepened understanding of what the field considers as important when learning entrepreneurship. By decomposing and mutually referring the concepts, the authors contribute to the call of strengthening the theoretical and philosophical understanding in entrepreneurship education.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments for developing this work. The authors are also grateful for valuable comments and suggestions on an earlier version from Associate Professor Diamanto Politis and Professor Paula Kyrö. Agnieszka Kurczewska’s contribution to the paper is part of the project financed by Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Poland, Mobility Plus grant no. 1100/MOB/2013/0.
Citation
Hägg, G. and Kurczewska, A. (2016), "Connecting the dots: A discussion on key concepts in contemporary entrepreneurship education", Education + Training, Vol. 58 No. 7/8, pp. 700-714. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-12-2015-0115
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited