The impact of entrepreneurship pedagogy on nascent student entrepreneurship: an entrepreneurial process perspective

Abstract

Drawing on a general distinction underlying theoretical and practical-focused pedagogies, this study examines the nexus among entrepreneurship pedagogy, entrepreneurial intention, and opportunity discovery and exploitation of an entrepreneurial process. Data was obtained from nascent student entrepreneurs (n = 462) enrolled in Chinese universities or their recent graduates. Path analysis results reveal that practical-focused pedagogy contributes more to the entrepreneurial process than theoretical-focused pedagogy. Scrutinising entrepreneurship pedagogy respectively, theoretical-focused pedagogy has a more significant impact on opportunity exploitation; in contrast, practical-focused pedagogy is more influential for opportunity discovery. Results also demonstrate that entrepreneurial intention partially mediates the paths from engaging in practical-focused pedagogy and opportunity discovery and exploitation processes. Contrary to the hypothesis, a similar mediating role for the paths of theoretical-focused pedagogy is not identified. This research sheds light on the more nuanced effectiveness of entrepreneurship programmes on students’ learning and the entrepreneurial processes by disentangling the heterogeneous nature of entrepreneurship pedagogy. It implies that opportunity recognition and exploitation are dependent upon knowledge and learning asymmetries resulting from the disparity of entrepreneurship pedagogies. Our findings suggest that the relationship between theoretical and practical pedagogies is of a reciprocal nature in yielding effective learning outcomes, calling for integration in teaching practice.