NURTURING ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET AND OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKING AMONG ADULT EDUCATION UNDERGRADUATES IN BAYELSA STATE

Abstract

The contemporary landscape of education increasingly recognizes the importance of fostering entrepreneurial skills and innovative thinking to prepare individuals for an ever-evolving global economy. However, limited scholarly attention has been directed towards understanding the specific needs and effective strategies for nurturing entrepreneurial mindset within adult education contexts.
This study outlines a comprehensive framework that investigated the cultivation of an entrepreneurial mindset and out-of-the-box thinking among adult education undergraduates in Bayelsa State. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. The population of the study was all undergraduates of adult education in tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State. A sample of 240 respondents drawn from the Department of Adult and non-formal Education in the 2 tertiary institutions was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire styled as “Nurturing EntrepreneurialMindset Questionnaire” developed by the researcher and validated by experts. The reliability analysis was done using Cronbach Alpha Formula, which yielded a value of 0.89. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. The findings established that problem-solving emphasis, collaborative learning, feedback and reflection, creativity encouragement, entrepreneurial role models, risk-taking support are teaching methodologies for cultivating entrepreneurial mindset and out-of-the-box thinking among adult education undergraduates. It was recommended that the management of tertiary institutions should
organize orientation programs for Adult Education undergraduates to sharpen their entrepreneurial mindset as well as foster out-of-the-box thinking.