Gilda Antonelli, Urve Venesaar, Angelo Riviezzo, Marianne Kallaste, Tomasz Dorożyński and Agnieszka Kłysik-Uryszek
This study aims at measuring the results of the use of an improved and innovative teaching method, specifically designed for supporting the development of students’…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims at measuring the results of the use of an improved and innovative teaching method, specifically designed for supporting the development of students’ entrepreneurship competence, through students’ self-assessment before and after the teaching.
Design/methodology/approach
The teaching methods design was based on the effectuation approach and considering the comprehensive entrepreneurship competence model as theoretical grounding. The teaching methods experimentation took place in three countries (Estonia, Italy and Poland), collecting pre–post self-assessment surveys from 404 students of entrepreneurship courses. The results of the experimental groups were compared, in each country, with those of control groups not exposed to the same teaching.
Findings
Students participating in classes using innovative teaching methods declared an increase in entrepreneurship competencies, with statistically significant differences, contrasting the results in the control group. The positive changes in self-assessment were observed for 13 of 14 subcompetencies investigated. The increase in the level of the self-assessment of entrepreneurship subcompetencies was significantly greater among bachelor’s degree students.
Originality/value
The strengths of the study include a diverse research sample and a uniform structure of teaching design applied in three different countries, while specific comparative studies on entrepreneurship education and its effect on learners are limited. Moreover, this study used a pre–post design and involved a control group, while most of the existing research on the effect of entrepreneurship teaching are based on different methods. Finally, while most studies measure the impact of entrepreneurship education by focusing on entrepreneurial intentions, this study focused on the development of students’ entrepreneurship competences.
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Sílvia Costa, Inna Kozlinska, Olga Belousova, Aard J. Groen, Francisco Liñán, Alain Jean-Claude Fayolle, Hans Landström and Aniek Ouendag
Ruth Alas and Christopher J. Rees
The main aim of this paper is to explore the general impact of post‐Soviet transition on the experiences of women managers in Estonia. Using survey data the paper reviews women's…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of this paper is to explore the general impact of post‐Soviet transition on the experiences of women managers in Estonia. Using survey data the paper reviews women's responses to organisation change in a transition context. The paper focuses specifically on economic and social changes that are occurring in Estonia following its reassertion of independence from the Soviet Union.
Design/methodology/approach
A contextual background to transition is provided and the recent history of Estonia is charted in relation to the demise of the Soviet Union and events in the recent post‐Soviet era. The paper discusses the issue of whether women have, in general terms, benefited from Estonia's move away from the Soviet Union and into the independent European State of Estonia. Estonia's membership of the European Union is highlighted as a key factor that is likely to influence the experiences of women managers in the future. The results of a comparative survey (n=682) into the attitudes of Estonian women managers towards various change management issues at the organisation level are presented.
Findings
The results of the study suggest that many women face cultural barriers to advancement in the workplace, and that women are seeking out opportunities in response to economic and social change. Recent legislation changes suggest however, that Estonia's institutional framework will assist women's career development and position in the economic sphere.
Research implications
There is a need for more focused gender‐based management research relating to Estonia. Such research could, in part, be based on information gathered from the further development of formal gender‐specific employment monitoring practices at both organisational and governmental levels in Estonia.
Originality/value
Because there is a dearth of gender‐focused research across Central and Eastern Europe, this paper provides valuable insights into the effects of independence on the experiences of women in Estonia.