Cultural considerations when designing entrepreneurial pedagogies

We assume that cultural variables influence the effectiveness of entrepreneurship pedagogy and as such there is need for cultural sensitivity in the design and implementation of entrepreneurship teaching progammes. With this in mind, we set out to examine whether the approaches and methods used teach entrepreneurship are culturally-based. We systematically searched the extant literature for evidence to verify our assumption. The search was conducted in two phases. In phase one we searched 79 articles to identify the major approaches and methods used in entrepreneurship. Experiential, learner-centred and problem-based approaches were commonly mentioned. The more common teaching methods were business plans, guest entrepreneurs/experts, cases, projects and lectures. Discussions/debates, simulations, internships and coaching were also frequently mentioned. In phase two we identified articles (23) that discussed the use of the approaches and methods we previously identified in different cultural settings. Hostede cultural dimensions of individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity-femininity and long term orientation-short term orientation to frame the discussion.
The finding suggests that there is need for cultural sensitivity in entrepreneurship teaching. The articles we reviewed showed that the action oriented, interactive earning approaches recommended for entrepreneurship teaching are not amenable to all societies, especially in Asian societies where Confucian principles (teacher dominance/control and reflective learning styles) are at odds with the learner-centred and participative methodologies used in entrepreneurship teaching. Furthermore, cultural variables such as individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and power distance played a role in a role in shaping classroom dynamics, in particular the level of activeness and participation of learners.
The study was useful in showing the need for cultural sensitivity and that entrepreneurship educators need to provide more contextualized, and hence presumably more efficient training programmes in a range of different cultural settings.