A transformational learning framework for sustainable entrepreneurship education: The power of Paulo Freire?s educational model

This paper responds to the paucity of theorisation on sustainable entrepreneurship education (SEE) to date. By virtue of its potential commitment to transforming socio-economic relations, we argue that Freire's critical pedagogical approach offers a basis for a theory of SEE that has the potential to be transformational at the individual, organisational and societal level. We show how Freire's approach, which has already found some application in entrepreneurship education (EE), can be complemented in two ways for the purpose of SEE. Firstly, through the addition of Shotter's withinness (rather than aboutness) thinking, which provides a rationale for dialogue with practitioners as a means of developing a subjectively informed understanding of sustainable entrepreneurship in practice. Secondly, through Sipos, Battisti & Grimm's Head, Hands and Heart approach to transformational learning in sustainability education, which provides a practical guide to the different types of learning that are involved in such transformation. We argue that the cognitive (Head), psycho-motor (Hands) and affective (Heart) domains of learning are essential in practical SEE that aims to bring profound changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes, transforming mindsets of both learners and educators in line with the new socio-economic, environmental challenges that our societies face.