Teachers as Brokers in University-Based Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystems: A Multiple-Case Study of Regional Applied Universities in Central China

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education ecosystems are often assessed through the presence of courses, competitions, incubators and external partnerships, yet the formal provision does not automatically become accessible or usable in practice. This study considers how teachers broker connections among students, institutional structures and external actors, and identifies the organisational and relational conditions that enable or constrain this work in regional applied universities. A teacher-centred qualitative multiple-case study was carried out across three universities in Central China. Primary evidence was drawn from semi-structured interviews with nine teachers directly involved in entrepreneurship education. Interviews with six university administrators provided organisational explanations, while 33 institutional documents were used to identify formal provision and governance arrangements. Data was analysed through open and focused coding, within-case analysis, cross-case comparison and attention to contradictory evidence. The findings identify four interrelated brokerage practices: curating opportunities, translating institutional and disciplinary requirements, connecting and mobilising actors and resources, and sustaining participation through continuity work. Across the cases, courses, competitions, incubation and external collaboration became usable only when teachers interpreted opportunities, prepared participants, coordinated relationships and supported project handovers. Brokerage was enabled by leadership support, recognised project frameworks, external networks, and specialist expertise, but was limited by fragmented responsibilities, limited recognition of workload, reliance on personal relationships, uneven access to specialist support, and weak continuity after competitions or graduation. The study promotes a processual understanding of entrepreneurship education ecosystems by positioning teacher brokerage as a meso-level mechanism that links formal provision to accessible educational opportunities. It also shows that brokerage can widen access while creating gatekeeping, overload and personal dependence. Healthy ecosystems therefore require universities to institutionalise coordination, recognise brokerage labour, distribute specialist expertise and preserve project knowledge past individual teachers.