Entrepreneurial mindset assessment: a systematic literature review using PRISMA model

Abstract

Background An entrepreneurial mindset is widely recognized as crucial for success in today’s fast-paced competitive world. People across various sectors—businesses, schools, politics, the military, and the public— benefit from a developed entrepreneurial mindset. Consequently, an accurate entrepreneurial mind-sets is becoming increasingly vital. This systematic literature review comprehensively analyzed the research on methods used to assess entrepreneurial mindsets. This inquiry was explored in terms of the fundamental characteristics of the reviewed documents, common entrepreneurial mindset traits or skills, evidence of validity and reliability, research methods employed, study participants, focus areas, and key findings from recent studies. Methods A systematic literature review using the PRISMA framework was utilized, and 39 documents published in the period 2015–2024 were extracted from the EBSCO, ERIC, and SCOPUS databases. Results Researchers from the USA dominated the field of this study. These assessment practices mainly target the educational sector, especially engineering education, where students are the primary participants. Currently, researchers are actively creating new assessment tools for entrepreneurial mind-sets tailored to students in entrepreneurial programs at engineering institutions. Most of these tools have been shown to be valid and reliable. The KEEN 3C framework is the most common assessment tool, emphasizing curiosity (CU), connections (CON), and creating value (CV). Conclusions This study makes significant contributions by compiling the existing literature on entrepreneurial mindset assessment, which presents the most up-to-date knowledge in the field. Educational institutions and business organizations can utilize the entrepreneurial mind-set assessment approaches highlighted in this review. This article is unique in that it enhances the field of entrepreneurship by presenting a new systematic literature review of entrepreneurial mindset assessment approaches.