The early bird catches the flywheel: pedagogical components of entrepreneurship education in American higher education institutions

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the core elements and essential characteristics of entrepreneurship pedagogy in American higher education institutions, outlining a model from multiple participants’ perspectives and offering a blueprint for teaching entrepreneurship in higher education settings.Design/methodology/approachStructured interviews were conducted with 26 participants involved in entrepreneurship education in American higher education institutions, including teaching managers, teachers and students. The interview data were transformed into documentary materials and analyzed through grounded theory.FindingsThe characteristics of the core elements of entrepreneurship education pedagogy in American higher education institutions include unified and distinctive teaching content, diverse and practical teaching methods, disciplinary and interdisciplinary curriculum system, professional and inclusive teaching team, procedural and systematic teaching evaluation. More profoundly, entrepreneurship pedagogy in American universities can be conceptualized as a flywheel model, propelled by the significant autonomy of teachers. Teacher autonomy empowers dynamic interactions among teaching content, teaching method, curriculum development and teaching evaluation, facilitating ongoing innovation in American entrepreneurship pedagogy like a rapidly forward-rolling wheel.Originality/valueThis study contributes to a better understanding of the pedagogy of American entrepreneurship education as a mature discipline, which may assist educators in teaching entrepreneurship at the college level. Moreover, a flywheel model of entrepreneurship pedagogy is offered, emphasizing teacher autonomy as a vital but often overlooked role in the development of entrepreneurship education.