A role for George Kelly's repertory grids in entrepreneurship education? Evidence from the French and Polish context

• We assess repertory grids as a pedagogical tool in entrepreneurship education.
• A post-course survey was conducted among postgraduate students in Poland and France.
• For a theoretical model we connect social learning theory to Gestalt perception.
• Repertory grids have value for students' network analysis and for self-reflection.

This paper represents one of the few examples of cross-national research of innovative teaching approaches in entrepreneurship in Higher Education institutions (HEIs), in this case in France and Poland. The study focuses on the effectiveness of George Kelly's repertory grids, the methodological tool of Personal Construct Theory (PCT), as an innovative pedagogical tool in entrepreneurship education. The student experience and the perceived advantages and disadvantages and relevance of the tool were systematically explored in a post-course survey conducted among a similar number of postgraduate students in both countries, 60 in Poland and 55 in France. A theoretical model that connects social learning theory to Gestalt perception underpins content analysis of the qualitative data. Repertory grids are shown to have value as both a network analysis tool and for encouraging reflection. Repertory grids empower the student to be proactive in thinking about their network and as encouraging collaboration among learners. Hitherto repertory grids have been deployed as a research tool, but little is known of their value in teaching situations. This paper begins the process of establishing repertory grids as of educational as well as research value.