Exploring the Effectiveness of Blended Teaching in Promoting Entrepreneurship Education to Create Decent Work Opportunities for the Youth in Uganda

The study investigated the impact of blended teaching on entrepreneurial skills and decent work opportunities among Ugandan youth. It used a mixed-methods approach where semi-structured interviews and a survey were conducted to collect data from 25 facilitators and 305 students from Makerere University Business School, who were selected using purposive and simple random sampling. Findings reveal a positive relationship (r = 0.418, p < 0.01) between blended teaching and decent work opportunities. This suggests that the integration of online enrichment and face-to-face teaching equips students with both soft and technical skills necessary to initiate businesses that generate decent work opportunities. This finding resonates with the perspectives of the facilitators, who believe that blended learning fosters a flexible and convenient learning environment, enabling students to learn anytime, anywhere, with access to diverse learning materials. However, it was observed that facilitators possess limited blended teaching skills, resulting in reduced physical interaction with students who may have limited access to facilities and technology. Therefore, it is recommended that governments in developing countries allocate funds to support blended teaching initiatives by providing training to enhance facilitator’s proficiency in utilizing this pedagogical approach. Additionally, universities should supply students and facilitators with laptops and internet access, as these are crucial enablers for effective blended learning. This study contributes significantly to both theoretical and empirical knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship education by examining the nexus between blending teaching, entrepreneurship education, and decent work opportunities, drawing on evidence from a developing country context.