The influence of educational environment on the development of entrepreneurial skills and competencies in students

Abstract

© 2019, Allied Business Academies. All rights reserved. In the climate of rapidly changing labour market, globalization and developing information society, higher education needs a new approach to learning. The purpose of this article is to identify the main entrepreneurial competencies and to determine the role of a learning environment on the development of entrepreneurial competencies in students. This article uses methods of statistical analysis and a questionnaire survey. The survey involved 251 students of the Elabuga Institute of the Kazan Federal University. These bachelor’s students were majors in Economics, Management, Professional Education (by branches) and Applied Computer Science in Economics. The survey that was applied uses a Likert five-point scale. The research showed that the level of entrepreneurial competencies among the Economics and Management majors averages 60%, 10% higher than in students majoring in Professional Education and Applied Computer Science in Economics. The survey showed that students could hardly assess their strengths and weaknesses, they were not confident in their abilities and talents either (the average score for “self-confidence” was 11 ± 2 points). The strongest entrepreneurial competence was formed in Economics majors (31%), while the lowest indicators were found in students majoring in Professional Education (18%). Among the various components of entrepreneurial competence, all students have better formed personal competencies, such as initiative, persistence, effective communication, and a focus on efficiency. Professional competencies, such as seeking new business opportunities, using information and communication technologies, and assessing new business opportunities, are better developed in students majoring in Economics, Management and Applied Computer Science in Economics. The study showed a high correlation between the quality of the learning environment and the level of entrepreneurial competence. The quality of education and training affects the future development of specialists in the enterprise. Therefore, data in this study will be useful in forming entrepreneurial competence in students when creating an innovation-based learning environment in higher educational establishments.