Identification of entrepreneurial education contents using nominal group technique

The purpose of this paper is to identify the elements of education and training intervention that facilitate occupational transition intentions of undergraduates and encourage them to opt for entrepreneurial pursuit.

The study, conducted in India, employed the nominal group technique (NGT) – A systems science technique – which considers that users are experts and they must participate in the decision-making process. The application of NGT involved a workshop format; 15 domain experts participated in the workshop. Throughout the process, a democratic process was followed to avoid individual dominance and premature focusing on a single idea.

The study obtained 63 responses from experts for effective entrepreneurship education in India. The responses were reduced to seven elements after a few thematic iterations. These elements were then segregated into content (knowledge, skills and attitude) and learning interaction on the basis of experts’ responses. An initial draft of the course based upon the elements identified through NGT is presented in this paper.

This study is unique and different from previous research on entrepreneurship education in several ways: It takes cognizance of multiple stakeholders; It provides a theoretical framework along with empirical groundwork; It suggests curriculum contents that have contextual as well as universal relevance. This paper contributes to the emerging dimensions of entrepreneurship literature, which implies a shift from understanding a well-established Western context of entrepreneurship research to transitional societies from the East.