Complementary Approach to Teaching and Learning Entrepreneurship in Nigerian Universities: A Conceptual Framework

Purpose- The conventional mode of teaching entrepreneurship in most of the Nigerian universities seems to not be sufficiently adequate to increase entrepreneurial action to decrease rates of graduates' unemployment. Design/methodology/ approach- Adopting primary and secondary sources of data, the article examined the influence of teaching and learning methods on perceived desirability for entrepreneurship. A total of 701 questionnaires were administered, of which 664 questionnaires were validly retrieved through combining stratified and systematic sampling techniques. The investigation yielded 94% response rate from the population groups of lecturers, postgraduate and final year students of three selected universities in Southwest Nigeria. Inferential statistics including Pearson's correlation, t-tests, and chi-square at p-value (0.05) level of significance were employed for the statistical analyses. Findings-The university-level entrepreneurship training demands cognitive and non-cognitive activities as the minimum benchmark for learning entrepreneurship. The operating curriculum predominately remains academics while performance assessments are written examinations which are mark driven. A significant positive correlation was established between the use of more theoretical learning patterns and the mind-sets for remunerative employment, as opposed desirability for entrepreneurship. Research limitations/implication- The content of information in this study limits the results of the research to the studied participants, which also limits the reach of the study to the three universities, where the study was conducted. Originality/ value- The value is a guiding framework that promotes paradigm shift from perspective highly curriculum content-based approach to a more inclusive outcome-based model, that is more of collaboration, partnership and engagement with key stakeholders in entrepreneurial development.