Shaping Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions into Actions: South African Lecturers’ Views on Teaching Strategies and the Ideal Educator

Tendai Makwara, Chux Gervase Iwu, Lucky Sibanda () and Eugine Tafadzwa Maziriri
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Tendai Makwara: Oxford Business College, 65 George Street, Oxford OX1 2BQ, UK
Chux Gervase Iwu: Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
Lucky Sibanda: Oxford Business College, 65 George Street, Oxford OX1 2BQ, UK
Eugine Tafadzwa Maziriri: Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa

Administrative Sciences, 2024, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: For several decades, entrepreneurship education (EE) has been identified as vital for preparing students to succeed in a changing economic landscape. Specifically, EE shapes students’ entrepreneurial intentions into actions. Considering the evolving expectations from graduates, this study explores South African entrepreneurship educators’ perspectives regarding the ideal educator and effective teaching strategies to shape the development of students’ entrepreneurial intentions. This empirical qualitative study examines data collected from 14 entrepreneurship educators across various South African public higher education institutions, collected using an open-ended questionnaire. Thematic analysis revealed a strong consensus on the importance of real-world experience teaching and the limited integration of online methodologies in EE. The results also emphasized the need for educators to embody entrepreneurial qualities, such as practical experience and a hands-on approach, to foster students’ transition from intention to action. Despite the desire for more innovative, action-oriented teaching strategies, traditional teaching theory in entrepreneurship remains an essential modality in the EE framework. These findings suggest that effective EE practices should integrate experiential learning and innovative strategies while maintaining core theoretical foundations.

Keywords: entrepreneurship education; entrepreneurial intentions; teaching strategies; South Africa; pedagogical approaches; ideal educator; educator characteristics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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