Educational approaches to entrepreneurship in higher education: A view from the Swedish horizon

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present and develop models of educational approaches to entrepreneurship that can provide complementary analytical structures to better study, enact and reflect upon the role of entrepreneurship in higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

A general framework for entrepreneurship education is developed by using theory as well as practical experiences from the fields of business, engineering and pedagogy. The paper is mainly conceptual where the unfolding Swedish practice is used as contextual backdrop.

Findings

The FOR/IN/THROUGH/ABOUT (FITA) taxonomy is presented and used to develop three models of how to approach entrepreneurship in higher education depending on purpose. As there exists a didactical divide between entrepreneurial education for business and entrepreneurial approach to teaching and learning, educators and researchers ought to let their specific context influence the adoption of the taxonomy as well as the presented models.

Research limitations/implications

The differentiations suggested by the presented models can be used to both structure the designs and limit claims of future research. More heuristic research is called for.

Practical implications

The use of FITA in the designing of entrepreneurship education offers new opportunities for enhancing complementary student learning in higher education.

Social implications

The study suggests that any political or scholarly initiative must acknowledge the diversity of entrepreneurship education and chose different approaches depending on what is to be achieved.

Originality/value

The multidisciplinary approach has made it possible to present and create models that denote a common ground for a productive discussion on how to better understand and make use of entrepreneurship in higher education.

Citation

Hoppe, M., Westerberg, M. and Leffler, E. (2017), "Educational approaches to entrepreneurship in higher education: A view from the Swedish horizon", Education + Training, Vol. 59 No. 7/8, pp. 751-767. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-12-2016-0177