Innovative and Entrepreneurship Education in Underdeveloped Western
Regions of China
Chang-jiang Lu1, Yan Feng1, De-wen Chen1
1
Sino-Canadian International College, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
(lucy@gxu.edu.cn, 57229360@qq.com, freemancdw@163.com)
Abstract - This paper makes an analysis on the major
problems for innovative and entrepreneurship education
(IEE) in underdeveloped western regions of China, and
outlines a set of implications for local governments and
universities. The authors suggest that a more practical and
flexible cultivation system rooted in regional contexts should
be established for bringing a radical change to the backward
IEE in western China. It is important to implement the “4C”
concepts in IEE, namely cross-culture, cross-region, crossdiscipline and cross-specialty through strengthening
international cooperation and mutual regional support,
integrating the IEE into the university curriculum, and
building a four-dimensional nexus via partnerships between
universities, industries, governments and families. While the
paper is written mainly from the perspective of
underdeveloped western regions of China, the discussion
allows for generalization, and thus should be applicable to
the development of IEE in other nations facing similar
problems.
Keywords - western China, innovative and
entrepreneurship education
I. INTRODUCTION
Along with the occupied population boom, China is
entering a new economic transformation phase. The two
words “innovation” and “entrepreneurship” (IE) are more
closely combined than ever before and have become an
important internal force for China’s economic growth.
Social development is in urgent need of innovative and
entrepreneurial (IE) talents. With innovation and
entrepreneurship education (IEE) in universities as its
focus, cultivation of IE talents forged ahead by Chinese
governments at various levels is in full swing across the
country. Provinces throughout China have been making
great efforts in developing IE talents cultivation modes
fitted in regional contexts. The number of start-up
businesses sees a continuous increase, yet most of the
enterprises are not established on the basis of innovative
concepts, knowledge, skills or innovations. Therefore, it
has become a great concern for Chinese local
governments, educators and researchers on how to
produce more quality IE talents through integration of
innovation and entrepreneurship.
II. WHAT IS INNOVATIVE AND
ENTREPREHEURSHIP EDUCATION
Innovation, according to the 2004 Report “Innovate
America” by the United States Council on
Competitiveness, refers to turning ideas and technologies
into new products, new processes and methods as well as
new services that can create new market values drive
economic growth and improve people’s living standards.
Entrepreneurship means one who undertakes innovations,
finance and business acumen in an effort to transform
innovations into economic goods. This may result in new
organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature
organizations in response to a perceived information,
resource or opportunity. There is an obvious strong
relationship of the two terms: first, they are not always
with the same understanding, but in essence there is a
considerable overlap between them in such aspects as
denotations, functions, objectives and processes; second,
innovation forms a significant part of the foundation for
entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship is the carrier and
manifestation of innovation [1]. IEE, developed by
western scholars in the 1980s, can be simply defined as an
educational system aimed at cultivating IE talents through
fostering their IE awareness, spirit, knowledge,
competencies and skills.
III.
REVIEW
ON
INNOVATIVE
AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN CHINA AND
ABROAD
IE Research and practice spreads across the world,
though in varying degrees. In developing countries like
the United States where entrepreneurship receives general
recognition and concern, entrepreneurial enterprises
contribute to 40% of the value created by all enterprises
and have created 75% of the new job opportunities in that
country.
Entrepreneurship in China, which started from the
1970s when China adopted the open-up policy, has gone
through six stages in its development marked with four
climax periods. Chinese governments at various levels
have begun to build entrepreneurial cities since 2009,
followed by national wide popularization of IEE.
Internationally, researches on entrepreneurship
education (EE) began from the 1940s and witnesses
fruitful results. In the past decade, western scholars
carried out studies on EE centered on thirteen hotspots,
such as EE adjustment and cultural interpenetration,
business and management education, entrepreneurship
management, business models and EE courses [2].
In China, there has been a remarkable improvement
in EE research and practice since 2006. Some successful
EE modes were formed to solve problems like ambiguous
orientation, unsuccessful localization of western IEE
concepts and modes, ineffective teaching and practice [3].
Chinese scholars from various disciplines began to show
interest in IEE from the very beginning of the 21st
century and expressed their views on IEE from different
perspectives. In respect of performance evaluation,
Professor Xie Zhiyuan employed an analytic hierarchy
process in the qualitative research on the performance
evaluation system for China’s IEE [4]; Vesper’s Seven
Elevation Factors was introduced into the comprehensive
evaluation on IEE in Chinese universities. These
researches are important for us to learn about the
development of IEE in China. However, it appears that
most studies are introductions of western IEE concepts
and experiences or generalized suggestions, and there is
an obvious lack of studies on IEE in regional contexts,
especially empirical studies, of more practical value.
IV. MAJOR PROBLEMS FOR INNOVATIVE AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN WESTERN
CHINA
It has always been a serious common problem for
western China in developing IEE that very little progress
could be made, though a large amount of manpower,
materials, money and time have been devoted into it, and
IEE research and practice are still on a superficial level
where innovation has not been fully substantialized. To be
specific, IEE in western China is confronted with big
impediments in respect of resources, concepts as well as
educational and supporting systems.
First, most of the western regions in China are
undeveloped with relatively limited resources and
educational funds. Local governments, as the policy
maker and allocator of various social resources, are still
clinging to conservative administrative concepts and
beliefs, while subordinate departments, affected by such
work style and attitude of their higher authorities will
usually hold a wait-and-see attitude toward the polices for
IEE. This has led to the current situation of IEE that
policy making far outweighs implementation.
Second, economic structure, development level and
entrepreneurship environment vary greatly in different
regions. Conservative concepts from the society and
families confront university graduates, who are the
mainstay of potential entrepreneurs, with making a choice
between getting employed and starting up a business. And
the fact is that most graduates who choose to start up a
business are “necessity entrepreneurs” rather than
“entrepreneurial” ones.
Third, IEE in western China is still at its initial stage
with many pressing problems crying out for solutions.
Inside the university, there are not enough specialized
teachers, especially teachers with entrepreneurial
experiences; students, because of little access to IEE, lack
in entrepreneurial awareness, knowledge and experiences,
which will lead to low entrepreneurial competencies.
Outside the university, ineffective encouragement and
supporting systems fail to promote a robust
entrepreneurial culture and strong motivation for IEE
development.
Therefore, not many successful startup-businesses
are seen so far in western China, though local
governments have adopted many encouragement and
preferential policies to promote entrepreneurship, and
some governments even set up special funds for financial
support.
V. IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPING
INNOVATIVE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
EDUCATION IN WESTERN CHINA
Local governments and universities play a very
important role in making a radical change to the backward
IEE in western China. Local governments, as the policy
maker and allocator of resources, should be more IEEsupportive and promote effective utilization of
intellectual, manpower, financial and material resources.
Universities, as the main implementer of IEE, is
responsible for achieving substantial progress in IEE by
integrating mass education with elite education on the
basis of introducing advanced international IEE concepts.
On one hand, they should popularize basic IE knowledge
among all students, guide students to internalize IE
concepts and develop IE competencies. On the other
hand, intensive education should be accessible to students
with entrepreneurship mindset, aptitude and potentials.
We hereby would like to outline some preliminary policy
and educational implications for governments and
academics on establishing IEE cultivation mode rooted
into the regional contexts in western China.
A. Develop students-oriented IEE concepts
Concept determines how we act, so it is a must that
universities should break away from the conservative
concept which prevents people from risk-taking, which is
one of the main causes for the slow development of IEE
in western regions. IEE, in essence, is quality-oriented
education which targets at the all-round development of
people. Thus, great efforts should be made by local
universities in the following aspects for promoting sound
development of IEE in Western China.
First, enhance the exchanges and communication
between universities, teachers and students for achieving
a common understanding that the students are wrongly
positioned in the education system and the current
situation must be changed from “university-and-teachersorientated to “students-oriented”, and think about what
they can do for students with entrepreneurship intensions.
Second, integrate IEE into the university curriculum
and promote innovative campus culture. A more open
learning environment needs to be created which entails a
flexible IEE practice system and a corresponding
diversified evaluation system. Innovative concepts
should be deeply integrated into each step of the
educational process of each discipline. In this way, IE
will become an internal need for students themselves.
Third, based on the intervention-process education
concept, create a non-boundary “macro-learning”
environment that integrates the outside society and jobs
with classroom teaching and learning, and provide
students with more opportunities for IE practice to
facilitate the internalization and reinforcement of their IE
awareness, knowledge and competencies, and thus,
vigorous engagement in IE practice.
Forth, encouragement and support from families and
education by the university are two of the most
influential factors for students’ entrepreneurship
intentions [5], according to the findings of empirical
studies. The implication is that universities should also
strengthen their connection and communication with the
students’ families to achieve their recognition on IE and
support for the students’ entrepreneurship intentions and
actions.
B. Integrate and Optimize Various Resources to Open
New Channels for Cultivating IE Talents
To realize the effective integration and optimization
of limited resources is of crucial importance for IEE
development in western regions. Solving this problem
needs joints efforts from governments and universities.
On one hand, universities should take advantage of
opportunities brought by internationalization of
education and preferential policies made by governments
to achieve the following goals. First, based on the crossdisciplinary attributes of IEE, employ the 4C cultivation
concepts, namely cross-culture, cross-region, crossdiscipline and cross-specialty throughout the IEE
process. Second, enhance international cooperation and
regional mutual support. Third, improve the cultivation
mode via promoting integration of disciplines and
specialties to improve students’ knowledge structure,
upgrade their concepts and beliefs and develop their
competencies.
On the other hand, a supporting system of
government-led four-dimensional nexus which involves
partnerships
between
universities,
industries,
governments and students’ families need to be
established for universities to adopt a more flexible credit
system for IE courses and practice which allow teachers
and students to work or study in governments or
enterprises. And government officials and entrepreneurs
should be absorbed into the university teaching faculties,
which is a key to the problem of lacking in specialized
teachers with entrepreneurial experiences. Only in this
way can we realized the integration and optimization of
limited resources from various regions, industries and
fields.
empirical analysis, students think themselves of medium
level in terms of the first-level entrepreneurship
indicators which consist of awareness, psychological
qualities, knowledge and competencies. For most of the
students, entrepreneurial knowledge is lower than the
other three indicators and is considered of greater need
for university students with entrepreneurship intentions.
Among the 28 second-level indicators, professional
abilities, innovative abilities, learning abilities and
foreign language communicative abilities are considered
most important. Result of the survey is recognition on the
necessity and feasibility of popularizing IEE in
universities in western China. Yet, IEE is a continuous
and dynamic life-long process and should be integrated
into the whole education system. Universities, while
popularizing IEE among students throughout their
university study on a basis of the process-oriented
education concept, which will help students to lay a solid
foundation for future business-startup, should also
provide opportunities for graduates and people from all
walks of life with entrepreneurship intensions to get
access to IEE via continuing education or in more
flexible ways, such as distance training programs,
lectures, and the like. This during-and-after-university
mode of IEE sees better IE prospects. So we maintain
that university students do not need to make a choice
between getting employed and starting up a business
upon graduation. The choice should be made when
everything is ready.
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
C. Integrate IEE into the whole education system to
benefit people from all walks of life with
entrepreneurship intensions
A research team from the Experimental Zone for the
Reform Pilot Project to Cultivate Interdisciplinary
Entrepreneurial Talents in China-ASEAN Free Trade
Zone conducted survey on the current situation of IEE in
underdeveloped western regions of China in 2010. One
of the focuses of the survey is to learn about university
students’ self-evaluation on IE. According to its
[7]
[8]
Xie Zhiyuan, “Localization of entrepreneurship education
at undergraduate level,” Exploring Education Development.
China, no. 4, pp.81-832, 2009. (Chinese)
Ge Li, “Hotspots of international entrepreneurship
education,” Higher Education Development and Evaluation.
China, vol. 27, no.4, pp.70-76, 2007. (Chinese)
Lu Baocheng, “Establishment of eeducation mode for
cultivating innovative and eentrepreneurial talents”, Hei
Longjiang Higher Education Research. China, serial no.
207, no. 7, pp.140-141, 2011. (Chinese)
Xie Zhiyuan and Liu Weiwei, “Evaluation system for
innovative and entrepreneurship education in universities,”
Innovative and Entrepreneurship Education. China, vol. 1,
no. 6, pp.3-8, 2010. (Chinese)
Wu Qiyun and Zhang Hong, “An empirical study on the
influence
of
environment
for
innovative
and
entrepreneurship on students’ entrepreneurship intensions,”
Hei Longjiang Higher Education Research. China, serial
no. 175, no. 11, pp.129-131, 2008. (Chinese)
Zhao Jinhua, “Practice of experimental zone for the reform
pilot project to cultivate entrepreneurial talents--taking
HeFei University of Technology as an example,” Modern
Education Management. China, no.8, pp.85-83, 2011.
(Chinese)
Gao Xiaojie and Cao Shengli, “Innovation and
entrepreneurship education: cultivate pioneers in starting up
business in the new era,” China Higher Education
Research. China, no. 7, pp91-93, 2007. (Chinese)
Druck Peter, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Shanghai:
Shaihai People’s Publishing House, 2002.