Teaching Business Economics as a Foundation for the Development of Academic Entrepreneurship
Teaching Business Economics as a Foundation for the Development of Academic Entrepreneurship

Summary/Abstract: Teaching business economics can serve as a foundation for developing academic entrepreneurship by equipping students with the requisite mindset and skills to engage in entrepreneurial activities. This experimental study examined the development of entrepreneurial competences in economics students before and after instruction in university-level business economics courses. The EntreComp framework was used to define and measure 15 key entrepreneurial competences. Students from two cohorts self-assessed their competence levels, perceived importance, and perceived utility of each competence at the start and end of the semester. The results showed statistically significant and educationally meaningful improvements across all competences after the semester. The largest gains were in competences directly reinforced by course content, such as financial literacy and creativity. Students also developed a greater appreciation for the importance and utility of entrepreneurial skills. The magnitude of improvement (overall effect size d~1.7) suggests that the economics courses introduced new ways of thinking and led to a “learning transformation” in students. The findings indicate that infusing entrepreneurial competencies into economics and business curricula is highly effective for promoting academic entrepreneurship. Thus, universities, and other educational providers, can leverage existing courses to elevate the entrepreneurial preparedness of graduates.

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