INNOVA Research Journal, ISSN 2477-9024  
La importancia de la mediación en el desarrollo de las mentes emprendedoras  
The importance of mediation in the development of entrepreneurial minds  
Evelyn Verónica Almeida  
Universidad Central del Ecuador, Ecuador  
Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas, Ecuador  
Guido Vinicio Duque  
Universidad Central del Ecuador, Ecuador  
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Ecuador  
Autor para correspondencia: evalmeida@uce.edu.ec, gduque@uce.edu.ec  
Fecha de recepción: 31 de Julio de 2017 - Fecha de aceptación: 10 de Agosto de 2017  
Resumen: El actual desempleo en los jóvenes de países en desarrollo como Ecuador se produce  
por el colapos de la seguridad social, el incremento del tiempo de aportación al sistema de  
pensiones para la jubilación y la crisis económica. Es así que, existe una urgente necesidad de  
desarrollar competencias de emprendimiento en los estudiantes universitarios. Sin embargo, el  
principal problema en el campo del desarrollo de una cultura de emprendimiento en la educación  
superior, está en la brecha que existe entre teoría y simulación, y entre simulación y los  
emprendimientos reales. Para cubrir esta brecha, proponemos un modelo que une las mentes  
empresariales de los estudiantes con la guía y experiencia de docentes y emprendedores que  
desarrollan sus proyectos de negocios, tomando ventaja de las oportunidades del medio para  
facilitar la empleabilidad en las áreas, social, productiva, cultural y tecnológica. Este modelo se  
basa en los conceptos de Vygosky (1978) sobre la Zona del Desarrollo Próximo y la Mediación,  
el concepto de Lantolf y Poehner (2011) de Evaluación Dinámica, y del Modelo Pedagógico en  
Emprendimiento de Béchard and Toulouse (1991).  
Palabras clave: mentes emprendedoras; zona de desarrollo próximo; mediación; evaluación  
dinámica; simulación; modelo pedagógico  
Abstract: The current unemployment of young adults in developing countries such as Ecuador is  
partially due to the collapse of the social security system, the increase in time of workers’  
contributions to the retirement system, and the economic crisis. Assisting youth in creating their  
own labor market opportunities through developing entrepreneurial competencies is a possible  
partial remedy to the unemployement situation in the country. However, the main problem in  
establishing these competencies in business classes, where there is a gap between the theory of  
entrepreneurship and the simulation, and between the simulation and the entrepreneurial reality.  
To fill this gap, we are proposing a pedagogical model that merges students’ entrepreneurial traits  
and curiosities with guidance and experience from teachers and entrepreneurs to develop business  
projects, taking advantage of business opportunities to facilitate employability in the local area.  
This model draws upon Vygotsky’s (1978) concepts of Zone of Proximal Development and  
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Mediation, Lantolf and Poehner´s (2011) concept of Dynamic Assessment, and Béchard and  
Toulouse´s (1991) Pedagogical Model in Entrepreneurship.  
Key words: entrepreneurial minds; zone of proximal development; mediation; dynamic  
assessment; simulation; pedagogical model  
Introduction  
The current unemployment in young adults in developing countries such as Ecuador is  
due to the collapse of the social security system, the increase in workers’ contribution to the  
retirement system, and the economic crisis. According to the Institute Nacional de Estadísticas y  
Censos (INEC, 2017), which is the institution that provides official demographic and social  
information in Ecuador, the unemployment rate in June of this year for youth (labor force ages  
1
5-24) was at 9.6 percent and for young adults (labor force ages 25 -34) was at 5.9 percent.  
Additionally, for the same age groups, the underemployment rates were at 23.5 percent and at  
2
0.9 percent respectively, which is higher compared to the national average.  
Entrepreneurship has been an adaptive strategy that youth use in the face of widespread  
unemployment. In fact, youth in Mediterranean countries in south Europe (Italy, Greece, etc)  
have been shown to be more entrepreneurial than youth in richer countries like Germany or  
Denmark (Hatfield, 2015; Walther, 2006). Therefore, there is a necessity to develop  
entrepreneurial competencies in higher education students. However, the main problem with  
current teaching practices and curricula of business development is that there is a gap between  
the theory of entrepreneurship and the simulation, and between simulation and the  
entrepreneurial reality. In this sense, educators are challenged with designing effective learning  
opportunities for students to foster entrepreneurship in higher education programs (Kuratko,  
2
005). Based on Kuratko’s (2005) analysis, several fundamental aspects must be taken into  
consideration when students learn business concepts: business plans, students’ business start-ups,  
consultation with practicing entrepreneurs, computer simulations, and behavioral simulations,  
interviews with entrepreneurs, environmental scans, live cases, and field trips. In the Ecuadorian  
context, the majority of the courses in entrepreneurship in higher education lack the connection  
between theory, simulation, and reality that is needed to assist youth in creating their own labor  
market opportunities.  
Little research has analyzed in-depth the relationship between entrepreneurial  
development and higher education. Unfortunately, business programs in higher education pay  
little attention to the use of communication and information technologies, cognitive processes,  
collaborative learning, personal growth, business ethics, or the development of critical thinking  
(Béchard & Grégoire, 2005). Current efforts to develop business competencies in students are  
not enough to develop real business ideas in the local area. Higher education institutions often  
struggle to provide authentic entrepreneurial perspectives and challenges that the entrepreneurial  
students will have to face in the real business world. In this sense, Béchard and Grégoire (2005)  
state that students must interact with “an entrepreneur who has paid the price, faced challenges,  
and endured the failures” (p. 589). In higher education in Ecuador, educative models in  
entrepreneurship are experimental and need to be consolidated (Robayo, 2009). To sum up, in  
the field of entrepreneurial development in higher education in Ecuador there is a gap between  
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the theory of entrepreneurship and the simulation and between simulation and the entrepreneurial  
reality.  
In the higher educational system, it is necessary to create a pedagogical bridge to connect  
the theory of entrepreneurship with the simulation of it, and to connect the simulation of  
entrepreneurship with the actual reality of it in local conditions. The goal of teaching  
entrepreneurship should be to develop real competencies in students that can be directly applied  
to personal and local circumstances. Our objective is to merge students’ entrepreneurial traits and  
curiosities with guidance and experience from teachers and real entrepreneurs to develop  
business projects, taking advantage of business opportunities to facilitate employability in the  
social, productive, cultural, and technological areas. At the same time, mediation between the  
teachers, entrepreneurs, and students can help students develop competencies to create business  
ideas, incorporating not only profit-making activities but also social responsibility initiatives.  
These business ideas will respond to real situations in different contexts, going beyond  
presentation in the classroom.  
Entrepreneurial Development Model  
Entrepreneurship in higher education tends to be taught in two phases: (1) a theoretical  
and (2) a simulation part. Here it is important to clarify that in Ecuador these classes are taught to  
the majority of higher education students, regardless of their chosen majors or focus of study.  
The theoretical framework provides a description of the historical analysis of entrepreneurship  
and a presentation of the structure of the business plan. The simulation phase is the application of  
innovative business plans that contribute to the solution of problems and that meet market needs.  
However, in the transition from theory to practice, students experience a gap wherein they do not  
develop core entrepreneurial competencies, such as initiative for developing businesses,  
systematic planning, creative thinking, innovation, risk taking and risk management, problem  
solving, persistence, quality performance, information management, and persuasion and  
influencing abilities (Eduxir & CBSE, 2017). Therefore, it is necessary to develop an ideal  
model to connect theory and practice in entrepreneurial courses and programs in higher  
education in Ecuador.  
The following Entrepreneurial Development Model (EDM) in higher education (Figure  
1
.1) has been developed to offer a real connection between theory and praxis.  
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INNOVA Research Journal 2017. Vol. 2, No.8.1 pp. 86-91  
Social, political, cultural and  
economic environment  
Entrepreneurial Reality  
University environment  
Department environment  
Mediation:  
ZPD  
-
gap  
-
Practical support  
actions for  
entrepreneurs  
Entrepreneurial courses  
and programs  
Theory  
gap  
Simulation  
Mediation:  
ZPD  
Dynamic  
Assessment  
-
-
Figure 1.1. Entrepreneurial Development Model in Higher Education  
The EDM specifies that the educative process is designed in a specific context, which is  
determined by the specific social, political, economic, and cultural environment. This  
environment influences the specific characteristics of universities and departments, including  
how they approach teaching business and entrepreneurism. In this context, entrepreneurial  
courses and programs improve the conceptualization of business and promote the development  
of business competencies. The model we are proposing draws upon (1) Vygotsky´s Zone of  
Proximal Development (ZPD) and mediation; (2) Lantolf and Poehner´s (2011) concept of  
Dynamic Assessment (DA), and (3) Béchard and Toulouse´s (1991) Pedagogical Model in  
Entrepreneurship. Vygotsky (1978) defines ZPD as “the distance between the actual  
developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential  
development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration  
with more capable peers” (p.86).  
Therefore, to help students develop a more unified, continuous, and coherent  
understanding of entrepreneurship, mediation needs to be present. From a sociocultural  
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perspective, mediation is the key component of human activity. In the case of the development of  
entrepreneurial minds, mediation occurs between students, teachers, and real entrepreneurs. As  
Vygotsky (1981) argues, human activities and mental functioning are mediated and facilitated by  
tools, cultural practices, artifacts, and language. In this sense, entrepreneurial classes must be  
interactive, where teachers, learners, and entrepreneurs are active participants in the construction  
of knowledge and understanding the concepts of business. Finally, Béchard and Grégoire (2005)  
allude to the importance of mediation when they mention that the main purpose of a pedagogical  
model of entrepreneurship is to “transmit theories related to feasibility studies and business  
planning” and that the “university’s traditional role, its resources and its practices work in favor  
of an approach based on the teaching theories. However, professors play several roles (role  
models, facilitators, and resource persons) which are coalesced in collective, individualized, and  
personalized teaching strategies” (p. 8-9).  
DA is another aspect of mediation for teachers to consider as they assess students’  
conceptual understanding of entrepreneurship. As Lantolf & Poehner (2011) state, “assessment  
and instruction exist in a dialectical relation to the provision of mediation attuned to the ZPD,  
[
which] allows for the identification of emergent abilities, and at the same time supports their  
development” (p. 13). In this context, teachers and entrepreneurs who work as mediators should  
provide assistance that will help students internalize the concepts of entrepreneurship and  
competences related to entrepreneurship, such as negotiation, leadership, new product  
development, creative thinking, and exposure to technological innovation (Solomon, Duffy, &  
Tarabishy, 2002), not only in theory, but also in practice by doing simulations and creating real  
businesses. DA seems to be an ongoing “development-centered” (Poehner, 2007) approach of  
collaboration to help learners improve their understanding of business development.  
In the business reality, mediation through teachers and business professionals is presented  
as practical support actions for entrepreneurial students, including practice communities,  
sponsorships, and incubators of enterprises, business clubs and contests, among others. These  
actions allow students, teachers, and entrepreneurs to share not only skills, but also knowledge  
and understanding of businesses. These activities also offer students the opportunity to develop  
and demonstrate business competencies in the current competitive world.  
Conclusion  
The youth unemployment situation in Ecuador could potentially benefit from more  
coordinated efforts to assist youth in developing entrepreneurial competencies and creating their  
own labor market opportunities. Unfortunately, current efforts in higher education to develop  
business competencies in students are not effective enough to develop reliable and feasible  
business ideas in the local area. The Entrepreneurial Development Model (EDM) offers insights  
into how teaching entrepreneurship development in Ecuadorian universities could be more  
effective. This model emphasizes how to merge students’ entrepreneurial traits and curiosities  
with teachers’ and entrepreneurs’ experience through mediation using ZPD and DA to ultimately  
develop in youth the skills and abilities needed to create and sustain local business opportunities.  
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