Understanding and Predicting Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention through Business Simulation Games: A Perspective of COVID-19

The influence of organizational factors on the acceptance of online teaching among college faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide study in mainland China

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) promoted online teaching on an unprecedented scale, raising researchers' attention to the importance of faculty's acceptance of this urgent teaching shift. This study aimed to explore the influence of organizational factors on faculty's acceptance of online teaching in terms of behavioral intention and perceived usefulness. A multilevel structural equation model was employed to analyze data on 209,058 faculty in 858 higher education institutions based on a nationwide survey conducted in mainland China. The results showed that three key organizational factors, namely strategic planning, leadership, and teaching quality monitoring, impacted faculty's acceptance of online teaching, although in different ways. Strategic planning had a direct impact on perceived usefulness, while leadership had a direct impact on behavioral intentions, and teaching quality monitoring had a direct impact on both perceived usefulness and behavioral intentions. In addition, an indirect effect was found between strategic planning and faculty's behavioral intentions through the mediation of the perceived usefulness of online teaching. The findings of this study have practical implications for college administrators and policymakers, which should effectively implement and promote online teaching and learning, and consider key organizational factors to increase faculty acceptance.

Perceptions and factors affecting the adoption of digital games for engineering education: a mixed-method research

Digital games are considered relevant in higher education due to their ability to foster authentic, active and experiential learning opportunities that are of importance in engineering education. However, as a relatively new pedagogical tool, there is the need to understand the perceptions of engineering students as well as to identify factors that influence their adoption of games for learning. So far, only a few studies have investigated the perceptions of higher education students towards learning games and even fewer for engineering students. To bridge this research gap, the current study utilises a mixed-method research design to identify factors that influence the adoption of digital learning games by engineering students as well as their overall perceptions of the use of games for engineering education. Results from the analysed quantitative and qualitative data suggest that engineering students value fun and engagement as well as relevance to the curriculum as factors that would influence their intentions to use digital games for engineering education. Students also showed openness to the use of digital games for learning, but resistance to their use for assessment. These findings have implications for the design of games and classroom deployment of games, as these provide insights to game designers and educators on the factors to consider in the design and classroom deployment of games, respectively.

Business Simulation Games in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research

Over the last few years, business simulation games (BSGs) in higher education have attracted attention. BSGs tend to actively engage students with course material, promoting higher engagement and motivation and enabling learning outcomes. Increasingly, researchers are trying to explore the full potential of these games with an upsurge of research in the BSG field in recent years. There is a need to understand the current state of research and future research opportunities; however, there is a lack of recent systematic literature reviews in BSG literature. This study addresses this gap by systematically compiling online empirical research from January 2015 to April 2022. We followed PRISMA guidelines to identify fifty-seven (57) papers reporting empirical evidence of the effectiveness of BSGs in teaching and learning. Findings showed that BSGs improve learning outcomes such as knowledge acquisition, cognitive and interactive skills, and behaviour. The review also summarises different issues concerning the integration of BSGs into the curriculum, learning theories used in the selected studies, and assessment methods used to evaluate student achievement in learning outcomes. The findings of this review summarise the current research activities and indicate existing deficiencies and potential research directions that can be used as the basis for future research into the use of BSGs in higher education.

The effect of student self-efficacy on learning outcomes in a business simulation mobile game: a quasi-experimental study

Purpose

This study has two objectives: to explore the factors that influence student self-efficacy regarding engagement and learning outcomes in a business simulation game course and to compare the difference between hierarchical and general teaching methods.

Design/methodology/approach

From September 2021 to May 2022, a questionnaire was administered to 126 students in a business simulation game course at the Zhongshan Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Data were analyzed using nonparametric paired samples tests and linear regression.

Findings

The results showed that student self-efficacy, engagement and learning outcomes were significantly higher with the hierarchical teaching method than with the general teaching method. There were also differences in the factors that influenced self-efficacy regarding learning outcomes between the two teaching methods. With the general teaching method, student self-efficacy did not directly affect learning outcomes, but did so indirectly by mediating the effect of engagement. However, with the hierarchical teaching method, self-efficacy directly and significantly affected learning outcomes, in addition to indirectly affecting learning outcomes through student engagement.

Research limitations/implications

Compared with the control group experimental research method, the quasi-experimental research method can eliminate the influence of sample heterogeneity itself, but the state of the same sample may change at different times, which is not necessarily caused by the hierarchical teaching design.

Practical implications

Based on the results of this study, teachers can apply hierarchical teaching according to student ability levels when integrating business simulation games. The results of this study can inspire teachers to protect student self-confidence and make teaching objectives and specific requirements clear in the beginning of the course, and also provide an important practical suggestion for students on how to improve their course performance.

Social implications

The research results can be extended to other courses. Teachers can improve students' self-efficacy through hierarchical teaching design, thus improving students' learning performance and also provide reference value for students to improve their learning performance.

Originality/value

This study built a model based on self-system model of motivational development (SSMMD) theory, comparing factors that affect student self-efficacy regarding learning outcomes under different teaching methods. The model enriches the literature on SSMMD theory as applied to business simulation game courses and adds to our understanding of hierarchical teaching methods in this field. The results provide a valuable reference for teachers that can improve teaching methods and learning outcomes.

Mediation-Moderation Model: An Empirical Examination of Sustainable Women Entrepreneurial Performance towards Agricultural SMEs in Ivory Coast

The consistent finding of knowledge management practices with women’s entrepreneurial performance is one of the gaps intended to fill in this paper. Several previous research studies on knowledge management practices (KMPs) with sustainable women’s entrepreneurial performance (SWEP) have been drawing the attention of many researchers, and this study includes the mediating role of opportunity recognition (OR) and moderating role of family interference (FI). Smart-PLS software was used to test the proposed hypotheses with gathered data of 450 women-entrepreneur respondents. The findings show a positive and significant impact of KMPs on women’s entrepreneurship and partial mediation of opportunity recognition between sustainable women’s entrepreneurial performance and KMPs. Moreover, family interference strengthens the relationship between opportunity recognition and women’s entrepreneurial performance. The study results proposed that in Ivory Coast, entrepreneurial women face several challenges in running their businesses. Therefore, it is suggested that a combined effort of women entrepreneurs, family interference, society, market opportunities, and researchers can overcome their challenges. Discussion is based on the study findings, and suggestions have been made for researchers and practitioners.

Entrepreneurship Education and Social Entrepreneurial Intentions: The Mediating Effects of Entrepreneurial Social Network

Social entrepreneurship has received considerable recognition from universities in recent years. This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of the entrepreneurial social network on entrepreneurship education and social entrepreneurial intention (SEI) of students at the university level. This study adopted a cross-sectional quantitative approach. A convenience sampling method was utilized to choose 392 students studying at the public and private universities in Chattogram, Bangladesh, who then completed a self-administered survey. The data were then analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results revealed a significant positive relationship between entrepreneurship education and students' social entrepreneurial intention on the one hand and between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial social network on the other hand. It was also found that entrepreneurial social networks had a significantly positive link with students' SEIs. Furthermore, the study found that entrepreneurial social networks significantly mediate the relationship between entrepreneurship education and students' SEI. Based on these outcomes, it is suggested to pay attention to entrepreneurship education further and strengthen the entrepreneurial social network to enhance SEI among students. Research findings have provided valuable insights regarding how entrepreneurship education can significantly impact SEI and emphasize the importance of entrepreneurial social networks as a mediator in social entrepreneurship. This study aims to contribute to the relevant social entrepreneurial literature by providing insights on practical issues related to the role of the entrepreneurial social network at the entrepreneurship education level.

How to Use Artificial Intelligence to Improve Entrepreneurial Attitude in Business Simulation Games: Implications From a Quasi-Experiment

Business simulation games (BSGs) have been widely used in entrepreneurship education with positive effects. However, there are still some deficiencies in the BSGs, such as limited guidance, low uncertainty and limited simulation environment, which make it impossible to exert the maximum effect. Artificial intelligence (AI) can solve the above shortcomings. The combination of AI and BSGs is the possible development direction of BSGs. But how to effectively combine BSGs with AI is still an open question. Using a quasi-experimental design, this study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze how participants' entrepreneurial attitude changes in BSGs. The results show that BSGs can effectively improve entrepreneurial attitude, and there are four types of promotion configurations. These four configurations consist of five antecedent conditions. According to the above conclusions, AI can improve entrepreneurial attitude in BSGs in various ways, such as simulating competitors, providing targeted feedback for failures, and improving game experience. The contribution of this paper is to highlight the possibility of combining AI with BSGs, and to provide suggestions on how AI can intervene in BSGs.

The Effect of COVID-19 on College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions

The new coronary pneumonia epidemic has had a tremendous impact on the world economic situation, causing a large number of enterprises to suffer from serious losses, but also bringing a large number of entrepreneurial opportunities. For college students, whether the opportunities brought by the epidemic can attract them to step into the entrepreneurial path becomes a question worthy of attention in the process of restoring economic vitality and guiding students’ employment and entrepreneurship. In this article, a mediation model was constructed and tested through 245 questionnaire data by combining event system theory, regulatory focus theory, and emotion cognitive evaluation theory. The results showed that defensive regulatory focus and fear of failure and facilitative regulatory focus and fear of failure were all able to continuously mediate the effect of event intensity of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic on the entrepreneurial intentions of college students.

Predicting the Entrepreneurial Behaviour of Starting Up a New Company: A Regional Study Using PLS-SEM and Data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

It is essential to understand the variables that explain and predict the behaviour of starting up a new company in a regional context. This study aims to analyse the theoretical basis and predictive potential of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data, considering the concerns and suggestions of other authors. In addition to an extensive literature review, a PLS-SEM methodology and data on variables and countries from the latest GEM report are used in this study. The results show that GEM reports have a sufficient theoretical foundation for quality studies in this field. In addition, a valid and reliable causal model is designed that includes all personal and contextual GEM variables. The hypotheses of the proposed model are based on the existing causal relationships in the literature, using GEM data in its formulation. The model is comprehensive and practical because it significantly predicts entrepreneurial behaviour, particularly entrepreneurial intention and action. The usefulness of this study is high, both for researchers, practitioners and institutions wishing to understand better and further promote entrepreneurial behaviour at a regional (country) level.

Study on the Influence Mechanism of Virtual Simulation Game Learning Experience on Student Engagement and Entrepreneurial Skill Development

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual simulation games have provided an effective teaching method for online entrepreneurship education. By exploring the mechanisms that influence student engagement and learning outcomes from different perspectives, such as game design, team and individual perspectives, numerous scholars have demonstrated that such a teaching method can effectively improve students' engagement and learning performance. However, the existing studies are relatively scattered, and there is a scarcity of studies in which the effects of said factors are considered. Based on the learning process 3P model (presage-process-product) proposed by Biggs (1993), students' perceived experience of game design, teamwork and self-efficacy were taken as variables in the early learning stage in the present study, and the influence mechanism of virtual simulation game learning experience on students' engagement and entrepreneurial skill development was explored, so as to close the gap in existing research. In the present study, 177 college students from Chinese universities were surveyed and the data were surveyed using AMOS 23.0 software. Although the empirical results show that students' "goal and feedback" and "alternative" experience of game design did not have a significant positive impact on students' engagement, there was a direct and significant effect the development of entrepreneurial skills. Students' experience of teamwork and general self-efficacy could not only directly and significantly affect the development of entrepreneurial skills, but also indirectly affect the development of entrepreneurial skills through learning engagement. The research results are practically significant for teachers in the selection and development of virtual simulation games, can be effectively applied in teaching process management, and can improve students' engagement and learning performance.

Understanding Digital Learning Behaviors: Moderating Roles of Goal Setting Behavior and Social Pressure in Large-Scale Open Online Courses

Pandemic has changed the whole scenario worldwide, not only related to business but also has equally affected the education sector. The classes have gone online from their physical nature, making it more convenient for students to learn. They provide online courses and lectures at the convenience of teachers and students. This study has also been one such effort in identifying the role of technological applications, intentions, and time flexibility in the digital learning behavior of students in China. The sample used in this study was the students taking online courses through their universities. The sample size was 343 students selected through purposive sampling. Smart PLS 3.3.3 has been used for data analysis via structural equation modeling. This study has found that technological applications play an important role in digital learning behavior, positively moderated by goal-setting behavior. Similarly, intentions predict digital learning behavior. Moreover, social pressure has also been found to augment the role of time flexibility in digital learning behavior. These results are very useful for universities that make understanding the online nature of studies more comprehensive.

Toward a Unified Theory of Customer Continuance Model for Financial Technology Chatbots

With the popularity of financial technology (fintech) chatbots equipped with artificial intelligence, understanding the user's response mechanism can help bankers formulate precise marketing strategies, which is a crucial issue in the social science field. Nevertheless, the user's response mechanism towards financial technology chatbots has been relatively under-investigated. To fill these literature gaps, latent growth curve modeling was adopted by the present research to survey Taiwanese users of fintech chatbots. The present study proposed a customer continuance model to predict continuance intention for fintech chatbots and that cognitive and emotional dimensions positively influence the growth in a user's attitude toward fintech chatbots, which in turn, positively influences continuance intention over time. In total, 401 customers of fintech chatbots were surveyed through three time points to examine the relationship between these variables over six months. The results support the theoretical model of this research and can advance the literature of fintech chatbots and the information technology adoption model.

Business Simulation Games Analysis Supported by Human-Computer Interfaces: A Systematic Review

This article performs a Systematic Review of studies to answer the question: What are the researches related to the learning process with (Serious) Business Games using data collection techniques with Electroencephalogram or Eye tracking signals? The PRISMA declaration method was used to guide the search and inclusion of works related to the elaboration of this study. The 19 references resulting from the critical evaluation initially point to a gap in investigations into using these devices to monitor serious games for learning in organizational environments. An approximation with equivalent sensing studies in serious games for the contribution of skills and competencies indicates that continuous monitoring measures, such as mental state and eye fixation, proved to identify the players' attention levels effectively. Also, these studies showed effectiveness in the flow at different moments of the task, motivating and justifying the replication of these studies as a source of insights for the optimized design of business learning tools. This study is the first systematic review and consolidates the existing literature on user experience analysis of business simulation games supported by human-computer interfaces.