| 1. |
- Lockett, Nigel, et al.
(författare)
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‘Lost in Space’: The Role of Social Networking in University-based Entrepreneurial Learning
- 2017
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Ingår i: Industry & higher education. - : SAGE Publications. - 0950-4222 .- 2043-6858. ; 31:2, s. 67-80
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While entrepreneurship education increasingly uses various means to connect students to the ‘real world’, the impact of social networking on learning remains under-explored. This qualitative study of student entrepreneurs in UK and Sweden shows that their entrepreneurial journey becomes increasingly complex, requiring skills and knowledge not solely developed through formal or non-formal learning. Social networks, and associated informal learning, are shown to be critical in developing social capital important to the students’ entrepreneurial journey. This study exposes a key value of social networking and encourages educators to embed activities that facilitate students’ informal learning within the curriculum.
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| 2. |
- Lockett, Nigel, et al.
(författare)
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The Bermuda Triangle in Entrepreneurship Education: The Role of Social Capital in Entrepreneurial Learning
- 2015
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Ingår i: Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship; November 11-12, Glasgow, Scotland.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives. We aim to explore the relationship between the role of social capital and entrepreneurial learning by investigating the entrepreneurial journey of student and graduate entrepreneurs.Prior Work. It is widely acknowledged that the most powerful resource of an entrepreneur is their network: individuals, groups or organisations that support, advice and even finance an entrepreneur’s growth. Because of this, entrepreneurship education programmes have been using entrepreneurs to connect students to the ‘real world’, providing them an initial network of entrepreneurs and the skills to develop their own network. Nonetheless, the real impact of networking on students learning has not yet been fully explored.Approach. This qualitative study uses unstructured interviews with three student and graduate entrepreneurs at both the University of Leeds and Chalmers University of Technology. Interviews focused on understanding the six entrepreneurs’ journey through entrepreneurial activities (critical incidents) and how social networks influenced these activities; interviewees were asked to reflect on their entrepreneurial journey, covering secondary school, university, post-university and expectations for the immediate future.Results. Main findings evidenced that the UK three entrepreneurs started to show some kind of entrepreneurial behaviour during secondary school education. All respondents though increased their network awareness through their entrepreneurial journey: from “don’t know” to “know” to “need”. Moreover, at the beginning the network was mostly informal (family and friends), becoming more formal according to the increased complexity of the entrepreneurial activity. During their entrepreneurial journey, interviewees agreed that at the beginning nobody taught them how to be entrepreneur or even the skills they needed to carry on the entrepreneurial activity. But once their journey became more complex and serious, they needed skills and knowledge that they were not able to develop by their own; in that moment entrepreneurs realised that their network could provide them with people from who learn new capabilities, using informal learning processes to close the gap between their scarcities and needs.Implications. The study exposes that networks facilitate entrepreneurial learning through informal learning processes which need to be translated into entrepreneurship education in a higher education context. One way is to legitimise social networking activities within the university environment, while another is embedding social networking into formal and non-formal entrepreneurship education.Value. Social networking is not simply building a contact list; it is part of the social capital needed to help the entrepreneurial journey. This study exposes the previously missing value of social networking and encourages educators to embed activities within the curriculum that facilitate students’ informal learning.
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| 3. |
- Lockett, Nigel, et al.
(författare)
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The contribution of universities to student and graduate entrepreneurs' social capital: a current fairytale?
- 2016
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Ingår i: Engage HEI Conference, University of Central Lancashire, UK, May 19-20.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper explores how universities contribute to the acquisition of social capital of their student and graduate entrepreneurs. The objective is to identify under what circumstances universities facilitate this in the context of entrepreneurial learning. The study builds on collaboration between three European universities: Chalmers University of Technology, Universidad de Malaga and University of Leeds.Entrepreneurial learning and education literature underpin this study. Stemming from this, the theoretical framework is complemented by research about the impact of social capital on entrepreneurs’ development, and its relevance to the concept of the entrepreneurial university.A qualitative methodological approach involving critical incident technique is used to map student and graduate entrepreneurs’ entrepreneurial journey based on a timeline, specifying stakeholders associated with critical events (entrepreneurial activities of any kind). A visual aid technique was used throughout the interview to assist interviewees in recalling their verbal history. 24 individuals fulfilling criteria: (1) university final year students or first year after graduation; (2) have or were engaged in some entrepreneurial activity; (3) 50% completed some formal entrepreneurship education were interviewed. Nvivo was used to analyse the data through narrative analysis of the social informal learning; i.e. how interviewees learned from others what they needed to learn in order to carry out their entrepreneurial activities. Preliminary analyses of the data identified that entrepreneurship education programmes in these universities engage experienced entrepreneurs to connect students to the ‘real world’, providing them an initial network of role models, as well as skills to develop their own network. It seems that respondents’ entrepreneurial learning follows a pattern. Early stages of the entrepreneurial journey relied on informal learning. As respondents’ entrepreneurial activities expand to include a more complex structure and wider network of stakeholders, they became aware of their need of a more formal learning. To satisfy this need, respondents engaged in non-formal education programmes and, when necessary, they enrolled in formal education programmes. Nevertheless, respondents also used other informal learning sources to cover their self-perceived knowledge gaps. Consequently, this illustrates how interdisciplinarity and entrepreneurship reaches beyond business school learning.Results also suggest that the intertwining of social capital and learning in entrepreneurship occurs before university, from the very first moment that respondents engage in some type of entrepreneurial activity. However, the university is vital in facilitating integrated understanding and developed maturity to manage the complexity of formal, non-formal and informal learning. This comprehensive understanding becomes an essential part of the respondents’ entrepreneurial social capital.This paper contributes by exposing the previously missing value of social networking in entrepreneurship education at universities. At an institutional-level, it legitimises university inclusion of social networking activities into formal and non-formal entrepreneurship education, and encouragement of informal entrepreneurship learning. Moreover, at an individual-level, it motivates educators to embed these activities within the curriculum in order to facilitate entrepreneurial learning. Considering that social networking goes beyond simply building a contact list and that it is part of the social capital necessary for the entrepreneurial journey, this study exposes the previously missing value of social networking in entrepreneurial education programmes. It encourages educators to embed social networking activities into the curriculum to facilitate entrepreneurial learning. The study highlights the importance of social capital acquired at university, as part of student/graduate entrepreneurial journeys. This revitalises the role of the university as a key enabler of economic, social and cultural impact through student/graduate entrepreneurs. Thus, the fairy tale question is answered: universities contribution to student and graduate entrepreneurs’ social capital is no longer a fantasy.Future research needs to be focus on understanding the student/graduate entrepreneurial journey, considering not only entrepreneurial activities as critical incidents, but also other interactions in the entrepreneur’s life. Moreover, the inclusion of other countries and universities to identify a clearer pattern of how universities contribute to acquisition of social capital of their student and graduate entrepreneurs.
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| 4. |
- Lockett, Nigel, et al.
(författare)
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The university is dead; long live the university: Are universities the principle source of social capital for student and graduate entrepreneurs?
- 2016
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Ingår i: ECSB Entrepreneurship Education (3E) Conference, May 11-13, Leeds UK. ; , s. 1-15
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the role of social capital acquired by students during student and graduate entrepreneurial journeys at university. The objective is to understand how universities can facilitate social capital acquisition in the context of entrepreneurial learning. The study builds on a collaboration between three European universities: Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), University of Leeds (United Kingdom), and Universidad de Malaga (Spain).We ask:1.What is the relationship between social capital and entrepreneurial learning? What is the added value as perceived by student and graduate entrepreneurs?2.How can educators use the development of social capital to enhance entrepreneurial learning, particularly across formal, non-formal and informal entrepreneurial learning activities?3.What are implications for the future of universities as centres of knowledge, creativity and learning?The study is underpinned by relevant literature regarding entrepreneurial learning and education. It also addresses the impact of social capital on the development of entrepreneurs, and the research regarding the entrepreneurial university.The study utilises a qualitative methodological approach, drawing on what is termed the critical incident technique. To start, student/graduate entrepreneurs were asked to map their entrepreneurial journey based on a timeline, specifying stakeholders whom they associated to critical events. This visual aid was then used throughout the interview, in which respondents provided a verbal history about their timeline and the critical relationships which had influenced their own entrepreneurial behaviour.We selected 24 respondents based on three criteria: (1) they had to be a university final year student or in their first year of graduation (both undergraduate and postgraduate students from various subjects were selected); (2) they had to have been engaged in some entrepreneurial activity; (3) the sample was split 50:50 between individuals having completed some formal entrepreneurship education (credit-bearing courses) and individuals without any formal entrepreneurship education. Gender and country variables were also considered. Data was analysed using narrative analysis of the individual learning, and social network analysis of the socialised learning (to address network and social capital developments). Building on social learning theory, socialised learning is understood to include observation and emulation of role models -role-sets- as part of an individual’s identity and legitimacy development.Preliminary analyses of the data inform us that mentors known in informal and non-formal education events and incubators are the main source to ask for help when respondents feel they need to. Maybe because the interview is retroactive, respondents were aware of this need before it was too late; in fact, respondents were the ones who deliberately contact these people to ask them for help in their various entrepreneurial activities. This paper contributes to knowledge and understanding by exposing a previously understudied value of social networking in entrepreneurship education at universities. At an institutional-level, it legitimizes university inclusion of social networking activities into formal and non-formal entrepreneurship education, and the encouragement of informal entrepreneurial learning. Moreover, at an individual-level, it motivates educators to embed these activities within the curriculum in order to facilitate entrepreneurial learning. Nonetheless, to more fully understand the student/graduate entrepreneurial journey, more research is needed. Future work should not only consider entrepreneurial activities as critical incidents, but also the relevance of other interactions in the entrepreneur’s life, leading to a greater understanding of their economic, social and cultural impact.Social networking goes beyond simply building a contact list; it is part of the social capital necessary for the entrepreneurial journey. This study exposes a previously missing value of social networking in entrepreneurial education programmes. It encourages educators to embed social networking activities into the curriculum to facilitate entrepreneurial learning. The study highlights the importance of social capital acquired at university, as part of the student/graduate entrepreneurial journeys. This revitalises the role of the university as a key enabler of economic, social and cultural impact through student/graduate entrepreneurs. Thus, the university is dead (as was traditionally understood); long live the (entrepreneurial) university.
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| 5. |
- Quesada Pallares, Carla, et al.
(författare)
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The role of social informal learning in the student/graduate entrepreneurs’ entrepreneurial process
- 2017
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Ingår i: European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) conference, Aug 29-Sept 2, Tamppare Finland.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper aims to analyse the role of social informal learning of student/graduate entrepreneurs during their engagement in entrepreneurial processes while attending university. A qualitative methodological approach involving critical incident technique is used to map the entrepreneurial journeys of 18 students/graduates from Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. NVivo v10 software was used to conduct narrative analysis on collected data, focusing only on those entrepreneurial activities that occurred during university. Main findings suggest that student/graduate entrepreneurs tend to rely on mentors met in informal educational contexts in order to develop their entrepreneurial process; this person is contacted by the student/graduate entrepreneur itself with the idea of seeking their help. At an institutional-level, the study legitimises university inclusion of social networking activities into formal and non-formal entrepreneurship education, and encouragement of informal entrepreneurial learning. Moreover, the findings encourage educators to embed social networking activities within the curriculum in order to facilitate entrepreneurial learning.
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| 6. |
- Williams Middleton, Karen, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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The university as an entrepreneurial learning space: The role of socialized learning in developing entrepreneurial competence
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research. - 1355-2554. ; 26:5, s. 887-909
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explores the influence of socialization upon the constitution and integration of learning leading to the development of entrepreneurial competence while at university, from the learner perspective. Self-reported learning is analyzed to illustrate ways in which students make use of institutional and social contributions of the university context. Design/methodology/approach – The study investigates entrepreneurial journeys of 18 participants, either currently attending or recently graduated from three universities in three countries with both comparable and distinctive contextual elements. In depth analysis of individual life stories, focusing on self-identified critical incidents, is used to illustrate ways in which students, while at university, develop entrepreneurial competence for current and future practice. Findings – Formal and non-formal learning remain important foundations for entrepreneurial competence development, delivered through designed content-centric structures. Informal learning – particularly mentor supported socialised learning – centring around the learner is key to solidifying learning towards entrepreneurial competence, through know-how and access to resources. The university emerges as an entrepreneurial learning space where students constitute and integrate learning gained through different forms. Research limitations/implications – Cross-cultural analysis is limited as the paper emphasizes the individual’s learning experience relative to the immediate university context. Practical implications – Universities play a critical role as entrepreneurial learning spaces beyond formal and non-formal learning. This includes dedicating resources to orchestrate informal learning opportunities and enabling interaction with the different agents that contribute to socialised situated learning, supporting entrepreneurial competence development. Universities need to take responsibility for facilitating the entirety of learning. Originality/value – Socialised learning in combination with other forms of learning contributes to student development of entrepreneurial competence while situated in the university context.
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