Revealing three anomalies: Extending Kolb educator roles profile in experiential entrepreneurship education

Abstract

Experiential entrepreneurship education programmes expose students to high levels of uncertainty and motivate them to take economic and emotional risks. Navigating educator roles in these programmes is difficult for educators. Although essential for effective student learning, a more theoretical understanding of educator roles within experiential entrepreneurship education programmes is needed. Following an extended case methodology, this study is among the first to validate and question the Kolb Educator Role Profile (KERP) in experiential entrepreneurship education. We theoretically extend the KERP typology by contextualising KERP within the experiential entrepreneurship education literature and incorporating insights from 18 experiential entrepreneurship education programmes. We reveal three anomalies that extend beyond the traditionally defined educator roles within the KERP typology: (1) educators need to initiate concrete experiences, (2) educators need to manage students' access to practical entrepreneurship competence, and (3) educators need to make students do entrepreneurship. By introducing KERP and discussing these anomalies, we provide clarity for experiential entrepreneurship educators, helping them navigate, commit to, and prioritise distinct educator roles. This paper implies a deeper understanding of educator roles in experiential entrepreneurship programmes, clarifying how educators manage effective student learning.