JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Vol 7, No 2 (2026): JEE, AUGUST 2026

Fostering Student Entrepreneurship – A Thematic Analysis Focusing on Major Challenges Faced by Educators

Thangarasa Tiburtrious Andrew Rohanaraj (University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka)
Pubuduni Jeewandarage (University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka)
R.P. Chitra Ranjani (University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Aug 2026

Abstract

Fostering student entrepreneurship in higher educational institutions (HEIs) inculcates the spirit of entrepreneurship in the minds of young individuals and  encourages them to become successful entrepreneurs in future.  Though the concept supports entrepreneurship development, it creates significant challenges to the educators and educational institutions, as conventional wisdom expects the HEIs to focus primarily on academic advancement and scholarship.  This study attempts to understand the major challenges faced by educators, while promoting student entrepreneurship in HEIs. This study used face-to-face interviews to collect information from 23 samples identified through purposive sampling.  The respondents either work-in or lead entrepreneurship development initiatives in their respective HEIs. The ‘Thematic analysis’ identified four major themes, namely, dilemma related to the role of students, importance of a market driven approach, entrepreneurial human capital development and availability of funding options, as major challenges faced by HEIs. The findings add value and variety to existing literature, while providing useful insights to HEIs working towards fostering student entrepreneurship.  The findings could also support decision makers in developing frameworks that encourage investment on appropriate student support mechanisms within HEIs along with possible legal protection to student entrepreneurs. The findings could also act as a point of reference, by future researchers.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jee

Publisher

Subject

Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education

Description

Journal of Economics Education and Entrepreneurship (JEE) is a journal that was started publishing in 2020 in the Economics Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat. JEE is a collection of research articles and studies of lecturers, ...