INNOVA Research Journal, ISSN 2477-9024

La importancia de la mediación en el desarrollo de las mentes emprendedoras

The importance of mediation in the development of entrepreneurial minds

Evelyn Verónica Almeida

Universidad Central del Ecuador, Ecuador

Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas, Ecuador

Guido Vinicio Duque

Universidad Central del Ecuador, Ecuador

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Ecuador

Autor para correspondencia: evalmeida@uce.edu.ec, gduque@uce.edu.ec

Fecha de recepción: 31 de Julio de 2017 - Fecha de aceptación: 10 de Agosto de 2017

Resumen: El actual desempleo en los jóvenes de países en desarrollo como Ecuador se produce

por el colapos de la seguridad social, el incremento del tiempo de aportación al sistema de

pensiones para la jubilación y la crisis económica. Es así que, existe una urgente necesidad de

desarrollar competencias de emprendimiento en los estudiantes universitarios. Sin embargo, el

principal problema en el campo del desarrollo de una cultura de emprendimiento en la educación

superior, está en la brecha que existe entre teoría y simulación, y entre simulación y los

emprendimientos reales. Para cubrir esta brecha, proponemos un modelo que une las mentes

empresariales de los estudiantes con la guía y experiencia de docentes y emprendedores que

desarrollan sus proyectos de negocios, tomando ventaja de las oportunidades del medio para

facilitar la empleabilidad en las áreas, social, productiva, cultural y tecnológica. Este modelo se

basa en los conceptos de Vygosky (1978) sobre la Zona del Desarrollo Próximo y la Mediación,

el concepto de Lantolf y Poehner (2011) de Evaluación Dinámica, y del Modelo Pedagógico en

Emprendimiento de Béchard and Toulouse (1991).

Palabras clave: mentes emprendedoras; zona de desarrollo próximo; mediación; evaluación

dinámica; simulación; modelo pedagógico

Abstract: The current unemployment of young adults in developing countries such as Ecuador is

partially due to the collapse of the social security system, the increase in time of workers’

contributions to the retirement system, and the economic crisis. Assisting youth in creating their

own labor market opportunities through developing entrepreneurial competencies is a possible

partial remedy to the unemployement situation in the country. However, the main problem in

establishing these competencies in business classes, where there is a gap between the theory of

entrepreneurship and the simulation, and between the simulation and the entrepreneurial reality.

To fill this gap, we are proposing a pedagogical model that merges students’ entrepreneurial traits

and curiosities with guidance and experience from teachers and entrepreneurs to develop business

projects, taking advantage of business opportunities to facilitate employability in the local area.

This model draws upon Vygotsky’s (1978) concepts of Zone of Proximal Development and

Revista de la Universidad Internacional del Ecuador. URL: https://www.uide.edu.ec/

INNOVA Research Journal 2017. Vol. 2, No.8.1 pp. 86-91

Mediation, Lantolf and Poehner´s (2011) concept of Dynamic Assessment, and Béchard and

Toulouse´s (1991) Pedagogical Model in Entrepreneurship.

Key words: entrepreneurial minds; zone of proximal development; mediation; dynamic

assessment; simulation; pedagogical model

Introduction

The current unemployment in young adults in developing countries such as Ecuador is

due to the collapse of the social security system, the increase in workers’ contribution to the

retirement system, and the economic crisis. According to the Institute Nacional de Estadísticas y

Censos (INEC, 2017), which is the institution that provides official demographic and social

information in Ecuador, the unemployment rate in June of this year for youth (labor force ages

5-24) was at 9.6 percent and for young adults (labor force ages 25 -34) was at 5.9 percent.

Additionally, for the same age groups, the underemployment rates were at 23.5 percent and at

0.9 percent respectively, which is higher compared to the national average.

Entrepreneurship has been an adaptive strategy that youth use in the face of widespread

unemployment. In fact, youth in Mediterranean countries in south Europe (Italy, Greece, etc)

have been shown to be more entrepreneurial than youth in richer countries like Germany or

Denmark (Hatfield, 2015; Walther, 2006). Therefore, there is a necessity to develop

entrepreneurial competencies in higher education students. However, the main problem with

current teaching practices and curricula of business development is that there is a gap between

the theory of entrepreneurship and the simulation, and between simulation and the

entrepreneurial reality. In this sense, educators are challenged with designing effective learning

opportunities for students to foster entrepreneurship in higher education programs (Kuratko,

005). Based on Kuratko’s (2005) analysis, several fundamental aspects must be taken into

consideration when students learn business concepts: business plans, students’ business start-ups,

consultation with practicing entrepreneurs, computer simulations, and behavioral simulations,

interviews with entrepreneurs, environmental scans, live cases, and field trips. In the Ecuadorian

context, the majority of the courses in entrepreneurship in higher education lack the connection

between theory, simulation, and reality that is needed to assist youth in creating their own labor

market opportunities.

Little research has analyzed in-depth the relationship between entrepreneurial

development and higher education. Unfortunately, business programs in higher education pay

little attention to the use of communication and information technologies, cognitive processes,

collaborative learning, personal growth, business ethics, or the development of critical thinking

(Béchard & Grégoire, 2005). Current efforts to develop business competencies in students are

not enough to develop real business ideas in the local area. Higher education institutions often

struggle to provide authentic entrepreneurial perspectives and challenges that the entrepreneurial

students will have to face in the real business world. In this sense, Béchard and Grégoire (2005)

state that students must interact with “an entrepreneur who has paid the price, faced challenges,

and endured the failures” (p. 589). In higher education in Ecuador, educative models in

entrepreneurship are experimental and need to be consolidated (Robayo, 2009). To sum up, in

the field of entrepreneurial development in higher education in Ecuador there is a gap between

Revista de la Universidad Internacional del Ecuador. URL: https://www.uide.edu.ec/

INNOVA Research Journal 2017. Vol. 2, No.8.1 pp. 86-91

the theory of entrepreneurship and the simulation and between simulation and the entrepreneurial

reality.

In the higher educational system, it is necessary to create a pedagogical bridge to connect

the theory of entrepreneurship with the simulation of it, and to connect the simulation of

entrepreneurship with the actual reality of it in local conditions. The goal of teaching

entrepreneurship should be to develop real competencies in students that can be directly applied

to personal and local circumstances. Our objective is to merge students’ entrepreneurial traits and

curiosities with guidance and experience from teachers and real entrepreneurs to develop

business projects, taking advantage of business opportunities to facilitate employability in the

social, productive, cultural, and technological areas. At the same time, mediation between the

teachers, entrepreneurs, and students can help students develop competencies to create business

ideas, incorporating not only profit-making activities but also social responsibility initiatives.

These business ideas will respond to real situations in different contexts, going beyond

presentation in the classroom.

Entrepreneurial Development Model

Entrepreneurship in higher education tends to be taught in two phases: (1) a theoretical

and (2) a simulation part. Here it is important to clarify that in Ecuador these classes are taught to

the majority of higher education students, regardless of their chosen majors or focus of study.

The theoretical framework provides a description of the historical analysis of entrepreneurship

and a presentation of the structure of the business plan. The simulation phase is the application of

innovative business plans that contribute to the solution of problems and that meet market needs.

However, in the transition from theory to practice, students experience a gap wherein they do not

develop core entrepreneurial competencies, such as initiative for developing businesses,

systematic planning, creative thinking, innovation, risk taking and risk management, problem

solving, persistence, quality performance, information management, and persuasion and

influencing abilities (Eduxir & CBSE, 2017). Therefore, it is necessary to develop an ideal

model to connect theory and practice in entrepreneurial courses and programs in higher

education in Ecuador.

The following Entrepreneurial Development Model (EDM) in higher education (Figure

.1) has been developed to offer a real connection between theory and praxis.

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INNOVA Research Journal 2017. Vol. 2, No.8.1 pp. 86-91

Social, political, cultural and

economic environment

Entrepreneurial Reality

University environment

Department environment

Mediation:

ZPD

gap

Practical support

actions for

entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurial courses

and programs

Theory

gap

Simulation

Mediation:

ZPD

Dynamic

Assessment

Figure 1.1. Entrepreneurial Development Model in Higher Education

The EDM specifies that the educative process is designed in a specific context, which is

determined by the specific social, political, economic, and cultural environment. This

environment influences the specific characteristics of universities and departments, including

how they approach teaching business and entrepreneurism. In this context, entrepreneurial

courses and programs improve the conceptualization of business and promote the development

of business competencies. The model we are proposing draws upon (1) Vygotsky´s Zone of

Proximal Development (ZPD) and mediation; (2) Lantolf and Poehner´s (2011) concept of

Dynamic Assessment (DA), and (3) Béchard and Toulouse´s (1991) Pedagogical Model in

Entrepreneurship. Vygotsky (1978) defines ZPD as “the distance between the actual

developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential

development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration

with more capable peers” (p.86).

Therefore, to help students develop a more unified, continuous, and coherent

understanding of entrepreneurship, mediation needs to be present. From a sociocultural

Revista de la Universidad Internacional del Ecuador. URL: https://www.uide.edu.ec/

INNOVA Research Journal 2017. Vol. 2, No.8.1 pp. 86-91

perspective, mediation is the key component of human activity. In the case of the development of

entrepreneurial minds, mediation occurs between students, teachers, and real entrepreneurs. As

Vygotsky (1981) argues, human activities and mental functioning are mediated and facilitated by

tools, cultural practices, artifacts, and language. In this sense, entrepreneurial classes must be

interactive, where teachers, learners, and entrepreneurs are active participants in the construction

of knowledge and understanding the concepts of business. Finally, Béchard and Grégoire (2005)

allude to the importance of mediation when they mention that the main purpose of a pedagogical

model of entrepreneurship is to “transmit theories related to feasibility studies and business

planning” and that the “university’s traditional role, its resources and its practices work in favor

of an approach based on the teaching theories. However, professors play several roles (role

models, facilitators, and resource persons) which are coalesced in collective, individualized, and

personalized teaching strategies” (p. 8-9).

DA is another aspect of mediation for teachers to consider as they assess students’

conceptual understanding of entrepreneurship. As Lantolf & Poehner (2011) state, “assessment

and instruction exist in a dialectical relation to the provision of mediation attuned to the ZPD,

[

which] allows for the identification of emergent abilities, and at the same time supports their

development” (p. 13). In this context, teachers and entrepreneurs who work as mediators should

provide assistance that will help students internalize the concepts of entrepreneurship and

competences related to entrepreneurship, such as negotiation, leadership, new product

development, creative thinking, and exposure to technological innovation (Solomon, Duffy, &

Tarabishy, 2002), not only in theory, but also in practice by doing simulations and creating real

businesses. DA seems to be an ongoing “development-centered” (Poehner, 2007) approach of

collaboration to help learners improve their understanding of business development.

In the business reality, mediation through teachers and business professionals is presented

as practical support actions for entrepreneurial students, including practice communities,

sponsorships, and incubators of enterprises, business clubs and contests, among others. These

actions allow students, teachers, and entrepreneurs to share not only skills, but also knowledge

and understanding of businesses. These activities also offer students the opportunity to develop

and demonstrate business competencies in the current competitive world.

Conclusion

The youth unemployment situation in Ecuador could potentially benefit from more

coordinated efforts to assist youth in developing entrepreneurial competencies and creating their

own labor market opportunities. Unfortunately, current efforts in higher education to develop

business competencies in students are not effective enough to develop reliable and feasible

business ideas in the local area. The Entrepreneurial Development Model (EDM) offers insights

into how teaching entrepreneurship development in Ecuadorian universities could be more

effective. This model emphasizes how to merge students’ entrepreneurial traits and curiosities

with teachers’ and entrepreneurs’ experience through mediation using ZPD and DA to ultimately

develop in youth the skills and abilities needed to create and sustain local business opportunities.

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