How action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs: Insights from a qualitative study
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Standard
How action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs: Insights from a qualitative study. / Melyoki, Lemayon Lemilia; Gielnik, Michael.
In: Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 05.11.2020.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - How action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs: Insights from a qualitative study
AU - Melyoki, Lemayon Lemilia
AU - Gielnik, Michael
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Journal of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship/Conseil Canadien de la PME et de l’entrepreneuriat.
PY - 2020/11/5
Y1 - 2020/11/5
N2 - This paper provides insights into how action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs. Understanding the process through which students become re-orientated to change their mindsets from expecting to get formal employment to embracing self-hire and actually starting their own businesses is important for motivating researchers and policy-makers to support action-oriented training. We qualitatively explored the effect of STEP (Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion), an action-oriented training program delivered to university students. We conducted seventeen semi-structured interviews with STEP recipients. We applied an inductive approach to the analysis of qualitative data. Findings revealed that transformation occurred through a step-by-step process with participants first experiencing empowerment due to the human and psychological capitals developed during the training. This empowerment coupled with appreciation of entrepreneurship and confirmation of its do-ability motivated recipients to adopt of a new career perspective and ignited in them a commitment to stay the course. We conclude that action-oriented training can transform recipients into real entrepreneurs through empowerment, appreciation, and confirmation of do-ability. The implication is that action-oriented training should be emphasized as an integral aspect of a strategy to address the problem of youth unemployment and general expansion of economic activity. Suggestions for future research are given.
AB - This paper provides insights into how action-oriented entrepreneurship training transforms university students into entrepreneurs. Understanding the process through which students become re-orientated to change their mindsets from expecting to get formal employment to embracing self-hire and actually starting their own businesses is important for motivating researchers and policy-makers to support action-oriented training. We qualitatively explored the effect of STEP (Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion), an action-oriented training program delivered to university students. We conducted seventeen semi-structured interviews with STEP recipients. We applied an inductive approach to the analysis of qualitative data. Findings revealed that transformation occurred through a step-by-step process with participants first experiencing empowerment due to the human and psychological capitals developed during the training. This empowerment coupled with appreciation of entrepreneurship and confirmation of its do-ability motivated recipients to adopt of a new career perspective and ignited in them a commitment to stay the course. We conclude that action-oriented training can transform recipients into real entrepreneurs through empowerment, appreciation, and confirmation of do-ability. The implication is that action-oriented training should be emphasized as an integral aspect of a strategy to address the problem of youth unemployment and general expansion of economic activity. Suggestions for future research are given.
KW - Entrepreneurship
KW - Entrepreneurship
KW - human capital
KW - Business psychology
KW - psychological capital
KW - empowerment
KW - tanzania
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d589f212-4014-3bf9-b9e2-7aec9449c013/
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095752974&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/08276331.2020.1832831
DO - 10.1080/08276331.2020.1832831
M3 - Journal articles
JO - Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship
JF - Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship
SN - 0827-6331
ER -