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Diverse approaches: educator-centric insights into design thinking practices in entrepreneurship education

Hannah Laura Schneider Orcid Logo, Louisa Huxtable-Thomas Orcid Logo, Robert Bowen Orcid Logo, Nils Högsdal Orcid Logo

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research

Swansea University Author: Louisa Huxtable-Thomas Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1108/ijebr-08-2023-0911

Abstract

Purpose: Design Thinking (DT) has emerged in a variety of educational contexts within entrepreneurship and debate continues on the value of integrating DT into Entrepreneurship Education (EE). Although DT is increasingly recommended for EE practice (Baciagalupo et al., 2020) there are scarce insight...

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Published in: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554 1758-6534
Published: Emerald 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68952
Abstract: Purpose: Design Thinking (DT) has emerged in a variety of educational contexts within entrepreneurship and debate continues on the value of integrating DT into Entrepreneurship Education (EE). Although DT is increasingly recommended for EE practice (Baciagalupo et al., 2020) there are scarce insights into how Entrepreneurship Educators apply and/or integrate DT into their practice. This study uses a constructivist paradigm of education to answer questions about the educational practice when integrating DT, with a view to understanding the schema that educators construct when encouraging learners to construct their own knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: This study follows a qualitative, interpretive approach, drawing upon semi-structured interviews from 29 entrepreneurship educators from higher education in the UK and Europe. Thus, this study puts focus on the quality of the DT integration in EE - from an educator’s perspective. Findings: There exists a difference between the scholarly proposed integration of DT and the enacted practice within the classroom. Analysis identified four forms (selective, idea-centric, procedural, holistic) of DT integration in the context of EE, as well as insights into the practical barriers and motivations for utilising DT. In particular, this study has identified an opportunity for appropriate training of the educators to extend their awareness of the principles of DT. Originality: This research has identified four novel and distinct ways in which DT can be integrated with(in) EE. This allows educators to be more reflexive about why and how they utilise DT in their classrooms, addressing an apparent lack of this understanding in contemporary practice.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Educator, Design-thinking, Qualitative, Educator-centred perspective, Innovation
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

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