On the About/For/Through Framework of Entrepreneurship Education: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

This conceptual article aims to stimulate the educational discussion in entrepreneurship by identifying instructional differences among the three modes of entrepreneurship education, that is, the so-called “about,” “for,” and “through.” Based on a common understanding of instructional design, restricted to knowledge, skills, attitudes and inclusive to the vast majority of educators, differences in priorities, requirements, methods, and content for building up each separate mode are critically addressed. These differences reveal the nature and latent expectations for each instructional mode and possibilities for future studies. It emerges that the “about” mode follows the positivistic paradigm, the “for” follows the vocational education and training one, while the “through” is inherently transformational. Critical entrepreneurship education can be regarded as a distinct form closely related with the three previous modes in specific ways. It can be concluded that there is an inequality among the modes (“about” < “for” < “through”) regarding their revolutionary perspective (i.e., transformative at macro-level) associated with efficient confrontation of attitudes. Implications mostly pertain to future implementations and empirical research in the field.