To persist or not to persist: understanding student team responses to effectuation in the higher education classroom

Franziska Günzel-Jensen; Helle Neergaard; Sarah Robinson

doi:10.1108/IJEBR-10-2022-0869

To persist or not to persist: understanding student team responses to effectuation in the higher education classroom

Franziska Günzel-Jensen^*, Helle Neergaard, Sarah Robinson

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Purpose: Entrepreneurship education is transforming from traditional teacher-led classrooms to student-centred learning environments, where effectuation principles are increasingly adopted as a pedagogical framework. Yet despite its promise for developing real-world entrepreneurial capabilities, the implementation of effectuation principles in classrooms reveals a striking pattern: while some student teams excel, others struggle or even revert to passive learning approaches. Such variation in team responses raises an important question about the underlying mechanisms influencing team responses. This article aims to fill that gap by understanding why some student teams excel and others struggle in the higher education (HE) effectuation classroom. Design/methodology/approach: A multiple case study involving 29 student teams enrolled in an undergraduate entrepreneurship class that is based on effectuation principles at a HE institution was conducted. Findings: The study identifies three distinct responses among student teams. The first group displays apathy, and the second group rejects the process after a few classroom sessions. Both groups encounter student-centred learning identity threats. In contrast, the third group, despite facing similar identity threats, manages to persist. Originality/value: This study argues that teaching and learning effectuation is more complex than generally depicted in the literature. It uncovers necessary and sufficient conditions related to students overcoming student-centred learning identity threats. By doing so, the study contributes to the understanding of why the connection between teaching effectuation and learning effectual behaviour is more intricate than previously understood. Additionally, it offers important practical implications for entrepreneurship educators and programme designers at HE institutions.

Original language	English
Journal	International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research
ISSN	1355-2554
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-10-2022-0869
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2025

Keywords

Effectuation
Entrepreneurship education
Higher education
Qualitative methods

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10.1108/IJEBR-10-2022-0869

Cite this

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title = "To persist or not to persist: understanding student team responses to effectuation in the higher education classroom",

abstract = "Purpose: Entrepreneurship education is transforming from traditional teacher-led classrooms to student-centred learning environments, where effectuation principles are increasingly adopted as a pedagogical framework. Yet despite its promise for developing real-world entrepreneurial capabilities, the implementation of effectuation principles in classrooms reveals a striking pattern: while some student teams excel, others struggle or even revert to passive learning approaches. Such variation in team responses raises an important question about the underlying mechanisms influencing team responses. This article aims to fill that gap by understanding why some student teams excel and others struggle in the higher education (HE) effectuation classroom. Design/methodology/approach: A multiple case study involving 29 student teams enrolled in an undergraduate entrepreneurship class that is based on effectuation principles at a HE institution was conducted. Findings: The study identifies three distinct responses among student teams. The first group displays apathy, and the second group rejects the process after a few classroom sessions. Both groups encounter student-centred learning identity threats. In contrast, the third group, despite facing similar identity threats, manages to persist. Originality/value: This study argues that teaching and learning effectuation is more complex than generally depicted in the literature. It uncovers necessary and sufficient conditions related to students overcoming student-centred learning identity threats. By doing so, the study contributes to the understanding of why the connection between teaching effectuation and learning effectual behaviour is more intricate than previously understood. Additionally, it offers important practical implications for entrepreneurship educators and programme designers at HE institutions.",

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To persist or not to persist: understanding student team responses to effectuation in the higher education classroom. / Günzel-Jensen, Franziska ; Neergaard, Helle ; Robinson, Sarah.
In: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 2025.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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T1 - To persist or not to persist

T2 - understanding student team responses to effectuation in the higher education classroom

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AU - Neergaard, Helle

AU - Robinson, Sarah

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AB - Purpose: Entrepreneurship education is transforming from traditional teacher-led classrooms to student-centred learning environments, where effectuation principles are increasingly adopted as a pedagogical framework. Yet despite its promise for developing real-world entrepreneurial capabilities, the implementation of effectuation principles in classrooms reveals a striking pattern: while some student teams excel, others struggle or even revert to passive learning approaches. Such variation in team responses raises an important question about the underlying mechanisms influencing team responses. This article aims to fill that gap by understanding why some student teams excel and others struggle in the higher education (HE) effectuation classroom. Design/methodology/approach: A multiple case study involving 29 student teams enrolled in an undergraduate entrepreneurship class that is based on effectuation principles at a HE institution was conducted. Findings: The study identifies three distinct responses among student teams. The first group displays apathy, and the second group rejects the process after a few classroom sessions. Both groups encounter student-centred learning identity threats. In contrast, the third group, despite facing similar identity threats, manages to persist. Originality/value: This study argues that teaching and learning effectuation is more complex than generally depicted in the literature. It uncovers necessary and sufficient conditions related to students overcoming student-centred learning identity threats. By doing so, the study contributes to the understanding of why the connection between teaching effectuation and learning effectual behaviour is more intricate than previously understood. Additionally, it offers important practical implications for entrepreneurship educators and programme designers at HE institutions.

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To persist or not to persist: understanding student team responses to effectuation in the higher education classroom

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