Exploring student’s perceptions on psychological empowerment by using a business simulation

Abstract

This paper introduces a study exploring the impact of computerised business simulations on student’s perceptions about their psychological empowerment. The research is focused on undergraduate business students in a Higher Education institution in the UK. Psychological empowerment is an acknowledged determinant of student engagement in the learning process. A survey-based instrument was designed and administered to students studying different business modules. The survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted to verify the empirical findings. The results indicate a significant and positive impact of simulation-based pedagogy on intrapersonal, interactional and behavioural dimensions of student’s psychological empowerment. Furthermore, our findings also suggest that these sub-constructs are interconnected. We have also found a positive trend in student academic attainment assisted by the use of computer-based business simulations. These results encourage business and enterprise tutors in Higher Education to embed simulation-backed pedagogies in the teaching and learning process as a means of advancing student learning and experience.