IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jadmsc/v14y2024i4p60-d1361980.html

Using the Case Study Method in Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Education

Author

Listed:
  • Mazanai Musara

    (Department of Information and Science, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa)

Abstract

Various methods are used in entrepreneurship education. However, the effectiveness of these methods in inculcating the much-needed improvement in entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, intentions, and ultimately entrepreneurial activity is underexplored in literature. Following the action research approach in an undergraduate entrepreneurship class of 165 students, the study investigated the students’ perceptions of the case method’s effectiveness in improving their entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, intentions, and ultimately entrepreneurial activity. A combination of observation methods and semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Observation data revealed a lack of physical space for facilitator mobility and low levels of engagement by students as some of the major challenges encountered when implementing the case study method in large classes. An analysis of semi-structured interview data revealed contextual relevance, building resilience, critical thinking, innovation and creativity, entrepreneurial motivation, entrepreneurial career development, and inspiration as some of the effective contributions of using the case study method in entrepreneurship education. The study recommends that, to further enhance the effectiveness of the case study method, the environment in which case studies are applied needs to be improved to ensure that there is enough physical space for lecturer mobility and interaction with students during case-study discussions.

Suggested Citation

  • Mazanai Musara, 2024. "Using the Case Study Method in Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Education," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:4:p:60-:d:1361980
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/4/60/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/4/60/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thobeka Ncanywa, 2023. "Eurocentric, Westernized, or Afrocentric curriculum in one university in the Eastern Cape: An entrepreneurship approach," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 12(10), pages 113-120, December.
    2. Folorunsho M. Ajide & James T. Dada, 2023. "Poverty, entrepreneurship, and economic growth in Africa," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 199-226, June.
    3. Bengt Johannisson, 2016. "Limits to and prospects of entrepreneurship education in the academic context," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(5-6), pages 403-423, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pérez-Centeno, Víctor, 2017. ""It takes three to tango": Brain, cognition and entrepreneurial enhancement," Working Papers 02/17, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn.
    2. Lanivich, Stephen E. & Smith, Adam & Levasseur, Ludvig & Pidduck, Robert J. & Busenitz, Lowell & Tang, Jintong, 2022. "Advancing entrepreneurial alertness: Review, synthesis, and future research directions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1165-1176.
    3. Mabel Pisá-Bó & José Fernando López-Muñoz & Josefina Novejarque-Civera, 2021. "The ever-changing socioeconomic conditions for entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 1335-1355, September.
    4. Moses Naiim Fuseini & Kaderi Noagah Bukari & Ibrahim Abu Abdulai & Tobias Tseer & Asaah Sumaila Mohammed & Mohammed Gadafi Ibrahim & William Aduah Yorose & Sabina Appiah-Boateng, 2025. "Poverty-conflict nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping literature review," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel, 2024. "Winning Strategies for Launching a Successful Business in Developing Markets," MPRA Paper 122661, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 Oct 2024.
    6. İsmail Karsantık & Semih Çayak, 2025. "Exploring the effect of altruism on social entrepreneurship characteristics: the mediating role of social intelligence," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Ayodeji Ogundowole & Tunde Owolabi & Hakeem Akintoye & Soladoye Lameed & Saibu Sakibu Olajide & Olasunkanmi Gbeleyi & Umar Adam & Abiodun Gafar Mustapha, 2025. "Boosting the Non-Science Students’ Process Skills in Nigerian Classrooms: How Effective is Cultural-Techno-Contextual Approach 2.0?," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(9), pages 375-396, September.
    8. Leanne Johnstone & Mariana Pio Monteiro & Inês Ferreira & Johanna Westerlund & Roosa Aalto & Jenni Marttinen, 2018. "Language ability and entrepreneurship education: Necessary skills for Europe’s start-ups?," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 369-397, September.
    9. Soledad Moya & Nuria Toledano, 2025. "The Space for Religion and Spirituality in Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship Education: Reflections on the Main Contributions and Tentative Directions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(1), pages 155-175, April.
    10. Lubna Rashid, 2019. "Entrepreneurship Education and Sustainable Development Goals: A literature Review and a Closer Look at Fragile States and Technology-Enabled Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-23, September.
    11. Folorunsho M. Ajide & Titus Ayobami Ojeyinka & Abdulazeez Bunmi Egbewole & Reon Matemane, 2025. "Do less harm than good? Analyzing the effects of anti-money laundering regulations on income inequality in developing economies," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(3), pages 553-572, September.
    12. Ramsey, Jase R. & Lorenz, Melanie P. & Farmer, Steven M. & Tang, Jintong, 2025. "The experience dilemma: A nonlinear exploration of antecedents to entrepreneurial alertness," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:4:p:60-:d:1361980. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.