The chapter discusses the effect of hierarchically staging common entrepreneurship pedagogies (from passive, instructor-led to active self-steering) in an undergraduate level venture creation programme on its participants perceived ‘readiness’ to take ownership over their learning. Education literature argues that existentially transforming pedagogy, much like that of student venture creation programmes (VCP), is not fit for all students, hence leading some to thrive, and others to fear failure. Data collected from a purposive homogeneous sample of 185 undergraduate students at a Dutch university, using reliable measures for self-efficacy and readiness for self-directed learning were analysed. The results of the mixed-methods study suggest that students gain self-efficacy (readiness) to independently take ownership of their learning process through a pedagogical approach that facilitates gradual competence development in each phase of the VCP. A teaching / learning framework is discussed that may help educators foster perceived task-readiness for the radically new learning activities that characterise VCP education.
Despite the increase in entrepreneurship initiatives and interventions, there is a poor understanding of entrepreneurship programs’ principles and learning objectives in secondary education. This study provides insight into the current range of entre‑ preneurship programs and their underlying pedagogy in secondary education in the Netherlands. To structure the analysis, we used the 11 design principles of Baggen et al. (Entrep Educ Pedagog 5(3):347–374, 2022). Data were collected from three different sources: the Vecon Business Schools (VBS) application forms, interviews with VBS schools, and additional documents. The findings show that most schools are unfamiliar with the definitions of entrepreneurship education. Many of the prin‑ ciples of broad entrepreneurship education focus on personal growth and the devel‑ opment of an entrepreneurial mindset. These are not always recognizable in sec‑ ondary schools’ current offerings of entrepreneurship education. Furthermore, the pedagogies on which entrepreneurship programs are based are mostly traditional, despite literature showing that (socially) constructivist entrepreneurship programs lend themselves better to developing an entrepreneurial mindset.
Despite the increase in the number of entrepreneurship initiatives and interventions, there is a poor understanding of the range of entrepreneurship programs in secondary education and their learning objectives. This study provides insight into the current supply of entrepreneurship programs and their underlying pedagogy in secondary education in the Netherlands. To examine existing offerings and their underlying pedagogy, we used the 11 design principles of Baggen, Lans, and Gulikers (2021). Data were collected from three different sources for triangulation purposes - data from Vecon Business Schools (VBS) application forms, interviews with VBS schools, and documents and additional information (student ratings, learning goals, missions, and visions). Our findings show that schools offer mostly causation-oriented and traditional entrepreneurship programs, in which there is little room for effectuation-oriented education. Also, due to the lack of a clearly stated mission, vision and learning goals of entrepreneurship education, schools pay little attention to the effect of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurship skills/intentions. However, we observe that schools acknowledge this and slowly design and offer entrepreneurship programs more consciously.
