ENGINEERING MASTER STUDENTS‘ VIEWS ON DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN A HOST EUROPEAN COUNTRY

Authors

  • Andreas Ahrens Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Hochschule Wismar, University of Technology, Business and Design
  • Parulkumari P Bhati Department of Mathematics & Humanities Nirma University
  • Jelena Zascerinska Centre for Education and Innovation Research
  • Mihails Zascerinskis Rezekne Academy of Technologies
  • Anastasija Aleksejeva Rezekne Academy of Technologies
  • Irina Abjalkiene Rezekne Academy of Technologies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17770/etr2021vol2.6562

Keywords:

Digital entrepreneurship, engineering students, host country, master studies

Abstract

The importance of engineering education in promoting engineering students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours now is widely recognised. The aim of the research is to explore international engineering Master students’ views on digital entrepreneurship in a host European country underpinning the elaboration of implications for engineering education in a host country. The research methods imply the use of both - theoretical and empirical - methods. Theoretical methods included analysis of scientific literature, theoretical modelling, systematisation, synthesis, comparison, generalisation. The empirical study was carried out in Germany in February 2021. 32 engineering Master students took part in the online survey. The online survey was based on the online questionnaire. The obtained data were described with the use of percentage, standard deviation and weighted average. The data description was followed by data interpretation and summarization. The use of the theoretical methods allows identifying that digital entrepreneurship is a supplement to traditional settings entrepreneurship proceeds in. The theoretical research resulted in the conceptual framework built of engineering student’s intention to become a digital entrepreneur, the use of the host country language, the use of engineering knowledge in digital entrepreneurship. The results of the empirical study allow finding out that the engineering Master students’ view digital entrepreneurship in a positive way. The survey results show that the engineering students focus their digital entrepreneurship on their professional field, namely engineering. The survey also outlined two major factors, namely host country language and host country rules, that limit the opportunities of becoming a digital entrepreneur in a host country. The implications for engineering education, that international engineering Master students receive in a host country, imply the integration of entrepreneurial culture, namely host country language and host country rules, into engineering education in a host country. The emphasis of the host country language and host country rules should be placed on their use for entrepreneurial purposes. By the entrepreneurial purposes, specific activities that are tied to entrepreneurship are meant. Training of host country language and host country rules within engineering education should be centred on their use for entrepreneurship.

 

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Author Biographies

  • Andreas Ahrens, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Hochschule Wismar, University of Technology, Business and Design
    Andreas Ahrens received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rostock in 1996. From 1996 to 2008, he was with the Institute of Communications Engineering of the University of Rostock, from which he received the Dr.-Ing. and Dr.-Ing. habil. degree in 2000 and 2003, respectively. In 2008, he became a Professor for Signal and System theory at the Hochschule Wismar, University of Technology, Business and Design, Germany. His main fields of interest are error correcting codes, multiple-input multiple-output systems and iterative detection for both wireline and wireless communication.
  • Parulkumari P Bhati, Department of Mathematics & Humanities Nirma University
    Dr. Parulkumari Bhati, holds a Ph.D in Human resources Management in the area of HRM practices and Job satisfaction. She brings in a vast academic and administrative experience of 12 years.Currently she is associated with NIrma University,Ahmedbad. She has also worked as a faculty with Saurashtra University Gujarat Technological University and Gujarat University , guiding PG-UG Students in areas of Human resources, Organizational behavior and General Management. Dr. Bhati holds a certificate in AMT (Accredited management Teacher) awarded by AIMA (All India Management Association), New Delhi in the area of Human resource Management. She has qualified NET (National eligibility Test) examination conducted by CSIR and UGC. She is a member of Board of Studies, Atmiya University, Rajkot has three books and several research papers to her credit. She has attended various conferences National and International repute. She has been awarded best professor award by Indian Society of Concept Management. She was mentor for MBA and engineering students for International Exchange Program for Wismar university,Germany and Poland.
  • Jelena Zascerinska, Centre for Education and Innovation Research
    Jeļena Zaščerinska received the diploma in Russian Philology in 1994 from the Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia, Master Degree in English Philology in 2002 from the University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia. In 2011 she was awarded Dr. paed. Degree for her promotion thesis “Development of Students’ Communicative Competence in English studies for Academic Purposes” focused on the evaluation of efficiency of the process of the development of students’ communicative competence within English for Academic Purposes studies. In January 2012 she became a leading researcher at the Centre for Education and Innovation Research, Riga, Latvia. In 2012 Jeļena Zaščerinska was bestowed expert rights by the Latvian Council of Science, Riga, Latvia and by Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, Brussels, Belgium. In 2012 Jeļena Zaščerinska was awarded a research grant for young scientists from the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Academischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) for the research project “Latvia’s Perspective in the Tempus Project ECDEAST: A Model-Driven Comparative Analysis of Engineering Curricula” implemented at Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences, Technology, Business and Design, Wismar, Germany, duration: 1 June – 30 November 2012. In 2012 Jeļena Zaščerinska was awarded a research grant for post-doctoral researchers from the „Triple I - Integration, Interaction and Institutions” of the ERASMUS MUNDUS Action 2-Strand 1 of the European Community Mobility Programme for the research project “English for Academic Purposes Studies: A Model Driven Comparative Analysis via Mixed Method Approach in Latvia and Russia” implemented at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia, duration: December 1, 2012 – September 30, 2013. In 2013 Jeļena Zaščerinska was awarded a research grant for research stays for university academics and scientists from the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Academischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) for the research project “Educating the Engineer 2013: Advance 21st Century Innovation in Engineering Curriculum” implemented at Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences, Technology, Business and Design, Wismar, Germany, duration: 1-31 January 2014. The major results of joint research activities were reflected in a number of publications and international conferences. In December 2013 Jeļena Zaščerinska was bestowed expert rights by Horizon 2020 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, the European Commission, Brussels, Belgium. In June 2013 she was appointed as the Editorial Board Member and Reviewer, International Journal of Modern Education Forum (IJMEF). Dr. Jeļena Zaščerinska is a member of the international research team which carried out an extensive research on integration of the results of interdisciplinary research into higher education and presented the research results in a number of joint publications. Her main field of research interest comprises cognitive linguistics, linguistic semantics and pragmatics, entrepreneurship education, teacher education as well as interdisciplinary (linguistic and engineering) research.
  • Mihails Zascerinskis, Rezekne Academy of Technologies
    Mihails Zascerinskis is a founder of Centre for Education and Innovation Research (CEIR). He is CEIR Board Member and deputy director. He also works as a CEIR scientific assistant. His scientific focus is on implementation of teacher training in use of ICT in education, integration of entrepreneurship into education, use of multimedia in educational process, etc. He teaches webdesign and multimedia, information security and safety, intelligent internet in English and Latvian to adults and youth. He actively participates in national and international projects. He has received an extensive experience in managing international projects within Erasmus+, TEMPUS, DAAD and other programmes. Mihails Zascerinskis closely cooperates with a couple of higher education institutions. His major research results reflected in a number of publications have been indexed by well-acknowledged international research publication databases such as Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citations Index, DBLP, Library of Congress and others.
  • Anastasija Aleksejeva, Rezekne Academy of Technologies
    Anastasija Aleksejeva acts as a CEIR scientific assistant. Her scientific focus is on quality management in the educational field. She delivers courses on practical use of multimedia in Latvian, Russian and English to adults and youth. She actively participates in national and international projects. She has received an extensive experience in managing international projects within Erasmus+, TEMPUS, DAAD and other programmes. Her major research results reflected in numerous publication.
  • Irina Abjalkiene, Rezekne Academy of Technologies
    Irina Abjalkiene acts as a CEIR scientific assistant. Her scientific focus is on quality management in the educational field. She delivers courses on practical use of multimedia in Latvian, Russian and English to adults and youth. She actively participates in national and international projects. She has received an extensive experience in managing international projects within Erasmus+, TEMPUS, DAAD and other programmes. Her major research results reflected in numerous publication.

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Published

2021-06-17

How to Cite

[1]
A. Ahrens, P. P. Bhati, J. Zascerinska, M. Zascerinskis, A. Aleksejeva, and I. Abjalkiene, “ENGINEERING MASTER STUDENTS‘ VIEWS ON DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN A HOST EUROPEAN COUNTRY”, ETR, vol. 2, pp. 225–231, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.17770/etr2021vol2.6562.