Mbeteh, Alfred (2019) Development of a competency framework for entrepreneurship education programmes in Sierra Leone. Doctoral thesis, University of West London.

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Abstract

Entrepreneurship has been widely recognised as a major tool in fighting youth unemployment. The literature suggests that entrepreneurship can be taught and as a result, there has been a proliferation of entrepreneurship education programmes, especially in developing countries where graduate youth unemployment, in particular, seems to be higher. However, not much has been done in terms of fully understanding the effects of such programmes on the intentions of youths toward entrepreneurial activities. Also, there is currently no unanimous agreement on the specific skill sets and pedagogical approaches that need to be embedded in an entrepreneurship education curriculum. Most importantly, a large number of entrepreneurship education, research conducted thus far has been carried out in western settings, using western participants. To this end, the aim of the study is to assess the effect of entrepreneurship education on youths’ entrepreneurial intentions and to develop a unique set of entrepreneurial competency framework for entrepreneurial education programs within the context of developing countries using Sierra Leone as a case study. In order to achieve this aim, the study firstly analyses the current state of entrepreneurship education programmes in Sierra Leone in terms of their learning outcomes, context, characteristics, and their target audience. The result of the analysis shows that most programmes seek to develop fragmented sets of competencies with the primary goal of getting the learners to engage in entrepreneurial activities. Secondly, the study assessed the effect of entrepreneurship education on youths’ entrepreneurial intentions using Ajzen theory of Planned Behaviour. A validated questionnaire was distributed to three groups of iv | P a g e graduate youths at the beginning and the end of the respective programmes. The result, in a nutshell, shows that entrepreneurship education has a positive effect to the intentions of graduates. However, there was a very minor positive effect of entrepreneurship education on specifically the skills of the participants. To this end, a focus group session (including students and lecturers) and personal interviews with practitioners were conducted in order to understand what key entrepreneurial competencies and pedagogical methods are needed within the context of Sierra Leone. The questionnaires were developed using the European Commission Entrepreneurship Competencies Framework (EntreComp). The result from the analysis shows that there are 11 core competencies that are needed within the context of Sierra Leone. A detailed framework with the relevant pedagogical approaches is embedded within this work. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on entrepreneurship education in several ways. First, the context of Sierra Leone is under-researched, while such activities may have a strong impact on the amelioration of the youth unemployment situation in the country. Second, the assessment of intentions developed through these programmes can provide recommendations to stakeholders on the appropriateness of the initiatives in combating youth unemployment across Sierra Leone. Third, the development of the entrepreneurial competency framework can help educators of Entrepreneurship Education Programmes to design curricula and effectively deliver programmes using appropriate pedagogies. Fourth, the study will assist future researchers in advancing research on entrepreneurship education and its antecedents within developing countries in particular.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	Education Business and finance > Business and management > Entrepreneurship
Depositing User:	Users 4141 not found.
Date Deposited:	28 May 2021 16:11
Last Modified:	28 Aug 2021 07:15
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/7900

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