Evaluating entrepreneurial education using the ASTEE questionnaire: adding meaning

Abstract

Objective This evaluation aims to establish the effect of participation in the entrepreneurial education programme YES! - a six-week programme for pupils in secondary education. By using the ASTEE-questionnaire (Moberg et al., 2014), this evaluation also contributes to insight into the meaning of outcomes from this questionnaire. Methods The investigation is of mixed design. The questionnaire was used for pretest and posttest assessment of Entrepreneurial self-efficacy, Mindset, Career ambitions and Education, and the results compared to a control group using repeated measures ANOVA. Ten participants, selected for combinations of low and high pretest scores and low and high difference between pretest and posttest were interviewed to reveal meaning and relevance of participation in this programme. Results Repeated measures ANOVA showed marginal (α = .1) effects on the ASTEE-score, but significant (α < .01) increases in scores for some of its components, notably Financial literacy and Entrepreneurial education (cognitive skills). The qualitative investigation revealed learning outcomes in domains of knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitude, that had come about through application of programme materials, collaboration in teams and interaction with the environment (notably customers). Conclusions The results suggest that the programmes motto – Learning by doing – is correct: participants learn from doing, but alarmingly, those who don’t do, don’t learn or learn less. Participant profiles are described based on the interview outcomes, with suggestions for improvement. Finally, these profiles clearly illustrate what meaning can be given to outcomes of the ASTEE questionnaire when used for evaluation purposes in any entrepreneurial education programme.