Entrepreneurial teachers do make a difference – Or do they?

Abstract

This study contributes to the research field of entrepreneurship education by providing a new perspective that combines concepts of the entrepreneurial teacher, entrepreneurial teaching methods and the development of entrepreneurial competences in students. As being entrepreneurial in the teaching context can be explored from various angles, the paper focuses on two important elements of this construct: the innovativeness and risk-taking ability of the teacher. The authors present empirical evidence from 1,011 higher education teachers from 21 different higher education institutions in Finland. The results show that a teacher’s innovativeness and risk-taking ability have a positive relationship with the use of entrepreneurial teaching methods, and influences how the teacher encourages the development of students’ entrepreneurial competences. An innovative and risk-taking teacher varies the teaching methods used in entrepreneurship education. The study suggests that teachers with a lower level of innovativeness and lower risk-taking ability do not use as many entrepreneurial teaching methods as more innovative and risk-taking teachers. In addition, the results confirm the importance of the teacher’s own innovativeness and risk-taking when fostering students’ entrepreneurial competences.