Received:
2026-05-18 | Accepted:
2026-08-10 | Published:
2026-09-30
Title
Reimagining entrepreneurship education in the ai era within resource- constrained settings: a pedagogical renaissance
Abstract
How can artificial intelligence (AI) technologies transform entrepreneurship education (EE) in resource-constrained settings? This study explores this question through an investigation of technology adoption at a South African university. Our findings reveal three key phenomena that challenge conventional views on digital transformation in higher education. First, students often lead technological innovation informing faculty in using AI agents and platforms. Second, resource limitations drive what we term “adaptive digital bricolage,” where basic AI technologies are combined in creative ways to achieve advanced EE outcomes. Third, rather than eroding traditional practices, AI platforms can preserve and enhance indigenous entrepreneurial knowledge. Using an integrated theoretical framework by drawing from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), we show that successful digital transformation depends more on leveraging local innovation than on significant resource investment. These findings offer new insights for institutions operating in resource- constrained environments, suggesting pathways to achieve technological advancement while preserving local knowledge systems.
Keywords
entrepreneurship pedagogy, Artificial Intelligence technologies, entrepreneurship education, indigenous knowledge integration, adaptive digital bricolage
JEL classifications
L26
, I20
, I25
URI
http://jssidoi.org/ird/article/272
DOI
Pages
130-148
Funding
This is an open access issue and all published articles are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
References
Abubakre, M., Faik, I., & Mkansi, M. 2021. Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective. Information Systems Journal, 31(6), 838-862 https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12343
Search via ReFindit
Attewell, P. 1992. Technology diffusion and organisational learning: The case of business computing. Organisation science, 3(1), 1-19 http://doi.org/10.70132/XXXXX
Search via ReFindit
Berglund, K., Hytti, U., & Verduijn, K. 2020. Unsettling entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 3(3), 208-213 https://doi.org/10.1177/2515127420921480
Search via ReFindit
Børte, K., & Lillejord, S. 2024. Learning to teach: Aligning pedagogy and technology in a learning design tool. Teaching and Teacher Education, 148, 104693 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104693
Search via ReFindit
Børte, K., Lillejord, S., Chan, J., Wasson, B., & Greiff, S. 2023. Prerequisites for teachers' technology use in formative assessment practices: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 41, 100568 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100568
Search via ReFindit
Chari, S.G. 2024. Bridging Gaps, Building Futures: Tackling Socio-Economic Disparities Through Education and Technology, London Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 24(16), 1-12 https://journalspress.uk/index.php/LJRHSS/article/view/1122
Search via ReFindit
Chen, L., Ifenthaler, D., Yau, J.Y.K., & Sun, W. 2024. Artificial intelligence in entrepreneurship education: a scoping review. Education+ Training, 66(6), 589-608 https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-05-2023-0169
Search via ReFindit
Data availability statement. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, F.I Mugunzva, upon reasonable request. Author contributions. Fidel I Mugunzva led the conceptualisation and design, analysis, interpretation of findings and drafting of the manu¬script. Evelyn. G. Chiloane-Tsoka and Ntise H. Manchidi were engaged in reviewing the manuscript and approving the submission to the journal. All authors have approved the manuscript
Search via ReFindit
Davis, F.D. 1989. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319- 340 https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Search via ReFindit
Fisher, R.J. 1993. Social desirability bias and the validity of indirect questioning. Journal of Consumer Research, 20(2), 303-315 https://doi.org/10.1086/209351
Search via ReFindit
Gao, T., Jin, J., Ke, Z.T., & Moryoussef, G. 2025. A Comparison of DeepSeek and Other LLMs, arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.03688 https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.03688
Search via ReFindit
George, J., Pind, J., & Lacombe, B.F. 2024. Kettle and Stony Point First Nation: A Narrative of Indigenous Language Revitalisation and Digital Indian Day School Histories. Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry, 15(2), 68-81 https://doi.org/10.18733/cpi29730
Search via ReFindit
Guba, E.G., & Lincoln, Y.S. 1994. Competing paradigms in qualitative research, Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2(163-194), 105 https://miguelangelmartinez.net/IMG/pdf/1994_Guba_Lincoln_Paradigms_Quali_Research_chapter.pdf
Search via ReFindit
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. 2006. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59-82 https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903
Search via ReFindit
Hanelt, A., Bohnsack, R., Marz, D., & Antunes Marante, C. 2021. A systematic review of the literature on digital transformation: Insights and implications for strategy and organizational change. Journal of Management Studies, 58(5), 1159-1197 https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12639
Search via ReFindit
Heeks, R. 2007. Why anti-corruption initiatives fail: technology transfer and contextual collision, in Corruption and Development: The Anti-Corruption Campaigns, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 258-272 https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230590625_14
Search via ReFindit
Hennink, M.M., Kaiser, B.N., & Marconi, V.C. 2019. Code saturation versus meaning saturation: How many interviews are enough? Qualitative Health Research, 29(4), 591-608 https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316665344
Search via ReFindit
Hofstede, G. 2001. Culture’s recent consequences: Using dimension scores in theory and research. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 1(1), 11-17 https://doi.org/10.1177/147059580111002
Search via ReFindit
Ifraheem, S., Rasheed, M., & Siddiqui, A. 2024. Transforming Education Through Artificial Intelligence: Personalisation, Engagement and Predictive Analytics. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 13(2), 250-266 https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2024.13.2.22
Search via ReFindit
Kadhila, N., & Nyambe, J. 2022. Curriculum Transformation to Decolonise African Higher Education in Decolonising African Higher Education, Routledge: 37-54 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003158271-3
Search via ReFindit
Killen, C., & Knight, S. 2020. Student partners as digital change agents, in A Handbook for Student Engagement in Higher Education, Routledge, 220-232 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429023033-21
Search via ReFindit
Kwet, M. 2019. Digital colonialism: US empire and the new imperialism in the Global South, Race & Class, 60(4), 3-26 https://doi.org/10.1177/0306396818823172
Search via ReFindit
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. 2006. Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x
Search via ReFindit
Ng'ambi, D., Brown, C., Bozalek, V., Gachago, D., & Wood, D. 2016. Technology enhanced teaching and learning in South African higher education–A rearview of a 20 year journey. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(5), 843-858 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12485
Search via ReFindit
Normile, D. 2025. Chinese firm's large language model makes a splash, Science, 387(6731), 238 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.adv9836
Search via ReFindit
Oladokun, B.D., Ajani, Y.A., Ukaegbu, B.C. & Oloniruha, E.A. 2024. Cultural preservation through immersive technology: the metaverse as a pathway to the past. Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture, 53(3), 157-164 https://doi.org/10.1515/pdtc-2024-0015
Search via ReFindit
Roturier, S., & Beau, R. 2022. Digital technologies and ILK in the Arctic: In search of epistemological pluralism. Environmental Science & Policy, 133, 164-171 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.03.025
Search via ReFindit
Saunders, M.N.K., & Townsend, K. 2016. Reporting and justifying the number of interview participants in organisation and workplace research. British Journal of Management, 27(4), 836-852 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12182
Search via ReFindit
Seleke, B., Teis, N.J., Els, C.J., & Legodu, G. 2025. Indigenous Knowledge Integration in South Africa's Technology Education Curriculum: Current Status. Challenges, and Future Directions https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2025619
Search via ReFindit
Siliutina, I., Tytar, O., Barbash, M., Petrenko, N., & Yepyk, L. 2024. Cultural preservation and digital heritage: challenges and opportunities. Amazonia Investiga, 13(75), 262-273 https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.75.03.22
Search via ReFindit
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M.G., Davis, G.B., & Davis, F.D. 2003. User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view, MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478 https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
Search via ReFindit
Vishwanath, A., Kam, M., & Kumar, N. 2017. Examining low-cost virtual reality for learning in low-resource environments, in Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, 1277-1281 https://doi.org/10.1145/3064663.3064696
Search via ReFindit
Winter, A. 2013. Constraint-driven innovation: technology developed for emerging markets can be competitive in the rich world, as well, Mechanical Engineering-CIME, 135(8), 20-21 https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A339252424/AONE?u=anon~9ffb4835&sid=googleScholar&xid=f0c2ec9e
Search via ReFindit