The adoption of mentorship and its influence on students’ cognitive psychology: A case of entrepreneurship education

Abstract

The call for universities to play a role in boosting the economic growth caused an education revolution. This led to the rise of entrepreneurial universities that introduced entrepreneurship education to sustain the third mission. Previous studies in entrepreneurship learning argued that entrepreneurial pedagogy methods did not change during the third academic revolution; however, recent research confirms that educators are applying blended mentorship pedagogy to respond to the hybrid nature of entrepreneurship education and to remain engaged with students during entrepreneurship sessions. The fact that past evidence shows that entrepreneurship education impacts students’ semantic cognition directed this thesis to research the interactive relationship between educators and students by focusing on the influence of mentorship pedagogy on students’ cognitive antecedents.

Reviewing past studies supported this research to establish its positivism philosophical stance and generate hypothesised frameworks. To test research models, data were collected from students who were enrolled in UK entrepreneurship education courses; these data were subjected to analysis through a structural equation modelling process Findings show that educators’ mentorship pedagogy is influencing students’ attitudes, perceived behavioural control and entrepreneurial intentions. Results also demonstrate that educators’ mentorship pedagogy is supporting the knowledge contents of theoretical and practical entrepreneurship education to affect students’ cognition. Finally, the thesis reveals the different impacts of traditional teaching, psychosocial functions and career-related mentorship functions on students’ cognitive factors.

This thesis sheds light on an interactive teaching method within the framework of entrepreneurship education. Furthermore, the research extends the field of entrepreneurship learning by explaining the nature of the active relationship between educators and students in entrepreneurship sessions. It also reveals the interaction between the components of entrepreneurship education and educators’ blended mentorship pedagogy.

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