Introducing Team Learning in a Developing Economy : Students’ Experiences of Experiential Entrepreneurship Education in Namibia
Arpiainen, R.-L., & Tynjälä, P. (2017). Introducing Team Learning in a Developing Economy : Students’ Experiences of Experiential Entrepreneurship Education in Namibia. Journal of Enterprising Culture, 25 (2), 179-210. doi:10.1142/S0218495817500078
Published in
Journal of Enterprising CultureDate
2017Discipline
Koulutuksen tutkimuslaitosCopyright
© World Scientific Publishing Company, 2017. This is a final draft version of an article whose final and definitive form has been published by World Scientific. Published in this repository with the kind permission of the publisher.
Entrepreneurship is considered to be a driving force behind nations’ economic
development, and entrepreneurship education’s role is essential in shaping entrepreneurial
attitudes, skills and culture. The objective of this study was to
investigate students’ experiences of entrepreneurship education in a developing
economy, especially as regards learning in and through teams. The research
project was conducted in Namibia, where the challenges to breaking out of
poverty are huge. Methodologically, the study was based on qualitative thematic
analysis of semi-structured interviews (2009–2014) of higher education students
(N ¼ 13) taking part in an action-based, experiential entrepreneurship programme.
In the analysis of students’ teamwork experiences, five main themes
related to learning in and through teams emerged — the first three relating to
individuals, the fourth to the team, and the fifth to wider social relations: (i)
psychological safety, (ii) tolerance of uncertainty, (iii) strengthening of selfefficacy,
(iv) strengthening of team-efficacy, and (v) understanding of others
and other cultures. The outcomes may be utilised in establishing, developing
and planning similar entrepreneurship education programmes across different
cultural settings in developing economies.
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