However, the problem arises of where to look for the sources of limitations on the effectiveness of entrepreneurial education. The situation is complicated to the extent that directly questioning participants, graduates, or entrepreneurs about their educational needs provides no guarantee of obtaining information that would help solve the problem. The more so that a "number of factors can influence their perceptions of, and need for entrepreneurship education and/or vocational training" 1. For this reason, when improving entrepreneurship programs, we cannot rely solely on the needs expressed by the participants, as it is highly likely they are not able to fully reliably formulate these needs. So let's take a closer look, examining the scientific achievements, then identify and examine potential sources of restrictions on the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education.
The first hypothesis to emerge – that the cause lies in the personality traits of the learners – is unsatisfactory. This is indicated, for example, by Hansemark's study 2. He diagnosed the achievement motivation and locus of control in participants in projects supporting the development of entrepreneurship, and eleven years later checked to see whether they were doing business for themselves. It turned out that there was no relationship between achievement motivation and propensity to start their own business. In the case of locus of control (LOC) there was a correlation, but it only occurred in the case of men, suggesting that for women other variables are likely to be more important. Hansemark 3 formulates an interesting explanation of the reasons for this result. He draws attention to the fact that the features identified in the model of an effective entrepreneur have been established in studies of entrepreneurs, i.e. people who already run their own business. The author hypothesizes that perhaps many of the characteristics are formed in the course of business, among which may be achievement motivation and locus of control. This does not mean at all that before starting any economic activity the individual must be at a comparable level. It can therefore be assumed that personality is an important factor in determining efficiency in business, as shown by many studies, but is not sufficient. Therefore it is a foundation, to which should be added everything that the educational process can offer. The question this arises is – what is missing in the learning process, and which may be important for efficacy?
J.C. Sánchez drew attention to an interesting source showing the effectiveness of entrepreneurial education. He carried out an experimental study showing that training participants developed entrepreneurial skills, such as self-efficiency, pro-activeness, risk taking, and the intention of self-employment. Participation has showed achievement with higher scores as opposed to those who did not participate in it, which was a distinct merit of the educational process. At the same time, however, J.C. Sánchez sought to answer the question what was so special about this course that achieved the learning outcomes. The fact is there are studies that show the ineffectiveness of educational activities in the field of entrepreneurship. “In this sense we must point out other aspects deriving from our program that are in line with what Rae has called the main role of entrepreneurship education: sparing ideas of what it means to be an entrepreneur and creating critical awareness. This aspect was also pointed out by Bakotic and Kruzic, who argue that entrepreneurship education programs help to augment perception of the important aspects of entrepreneurship as well as provide a realistic view of the problems it can involve.” 4 Therefore it is worth looking deeper at the process of the entrepreneurial education.
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