Beyond lecture halls : learning preferences, barriers and support for entrepreneurship education

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is vital to national economies, particularly in small island states such as Malta, where more than half (58.3%) of registered business units are sole ownerships or partnerships (NSO, 2025). This study examined the attitudes, knowledge gaps and pedagogical preferences of Maltese university students related to academic entrepreneurship. A cross-sectional online survey conducted in May 2024 yielded 71 valid responses from 299 invited students. The study utilised exploratory, descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as exploratory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis identified two attitude dimensions: entrepreneurial optimism and entrepreneurial pessimism, indicating that students perceive business creation as exciting and creative, but also as risky and unrealistic, highlighting an intention-action gap. Perceived barriers were centred on educational (knowledge) and financial (business planning) factors, with observed limited funding resources and insufficient entrepreneurship training. Regarding instructional models, students preferred active learning models, including mentoring, discussions with entrepreneurs and experiential courses, over traditional lectures, emphasising the need for learner-centred delivery of entrepreneurship education content. Findings highlight the importance of embedding practical, inclusive and network-rich entrepreneurship education across curricula and providing networking opportunities for students with the business community to strengthen Malta's entrepreneurial and innovative capacity.