In this qualitative case study, self-directed learning theory was used as the lens to explore experiences of nine women entrepreneurs during the first four years of business ownership as they sought to acquire skills necessary to run their businesses. Data were collected over six months through in-person 90-minute interviews and follow-up questions posed by telephone and email. Qualitative data software was used for coding and thematic analysis, resulting in five broad conclusions related to learning, with additional unanticipated findings. Study participants engaged in a variety of self-directed learning activities, mostly through trial and error experimentation, and possessed varying motivations for learning. Educational level and reliance on past industry experience limited openness to new experiences and commitment to learning for some, particularly those with high school degrees or limited college experience. The majority of learning was pursued “just-in-time” as the need mandated when a challenge presented itself rather than in a pre-planned manner. Learning was heavily reliant on other people: most sought the advice of paid professionals, former co-workers, or friends and family. The use of a mentor for learning was identified by one participant, while three employed business coaches for professional guidance. Much of their learning was highly instrumental in nature, focused on here-and-now problem solving related to managing employees, handling legal issues in establishing the business, and learning to market themselves. While extremely self-confident in their abilities, most of the women struggled with issues of family and work-life balance, and several described guilt over neglecting one aspect of their lives for the other. Study conclusions emphasize the importance of knowing how to learn in the entrepreneurial context and suggest ways entrepreneurs can access knowledge and new experiences for learning, with implications for entrepreneurship programs, government agencies, and educators.

Raising the qualification level for preschool staff is often seen by policymakers as a means of improving the quality of preschool. However, research examining the relation between qualifications of preschool staff and preschool quality has given inconsistent results. This suggests that one’s competence as a teacher is not necessarily reflected by one’s level of teacher qualification. The aim of this study was to contribute to knowledge about preschool teacher competence and its relation to education and practice. This was accomplished through documenting and examining perspectives on preschool teacher competence from currently enrolled Swedish preschool teacher students and recently graduated Swedish preschool teachers, who have prior work experience in early childhood education. In particular, this study focused on gaining a deeper understanding of which competences preschool teacher students and preschool teachers attribute to their education. Interviews were conducted with one preschool teacher education student and two recently graduated preschool teachers. The findings showed three competences reported as important by the participants: critical (self-)reflection, the competence to listen to the children, and the competence to care. Moreover, the participants believed that being confident in one’s profession, knowing why they are doing what they are doing, and the competence to reflect are competences gained in preschool teacher education. Lastly, the participants described a connection between theory and practice, which suggest that students with prior work experience do not experience a ‘reality gap’ between their education and the practical field. The research conducted in this study contributes to what is known about teacher competence and, more specifically, it gives more insight into the development of competence in preschool teacher education.

This thesis aims to increase knowledge about the usage and relevance of Project Management (PM) methods and tools within start-up companies, with regard to the previous work experience of the entrepreneur. The underdeveloped connection of PM and entrepreneurship will be further explored by following the research question proposed below that guides the study. What PM methods and tools do entrepreneurs apply in the process of launching the business versus the operation of the start-up, especially considering their previous work experience and contact with PM? In order to answer the proposed research question and pursue the set objectives, the thesis is structured as follows. First, the methodology within this study is represented in theoretical and practical form in chapter 2 and 4. Furthermore, the theoretical context in the field is summarized in chapter 3. The topics of traditional PM and agile PM (APM) with their characteristics and tools are portrayed; especially the latter is extensively presented in chapter 3.2 due to the need of flexibility and adaptability in the highly dynamic business environment nowadays, as well as the strong connection between APM and the IT development sector. Existing theories about the topics of entrepreneurship and start-ups are described in the subsequent chapter, whereby a focus is set on the entrepreneur itself and his or her previous work experience. To summarize the existing theory in the fields of PM and entrepreneurship a conceptual framework was created by the researchers of this study in chapter 3.4, which also serves to represent the findings of the study in the concluding chapter. The empirical findings, which are presented in chapter 5, were organized in chronological order of the conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with software development start-ups in Sweden. Valuable results for the research areas of entrepreneurship and PM, as well as for the practical usage in those fields could be generated. The summarized results of this qualitative study are summarized and presented in chapter 6, titled empirical analysis. The authors found out that the majority of the contacted start-ups did not plan a lot in the launching phase of the business, in fact, they did not apply specific PM tools. While the business was growing, so did its complexity, which is why the need for applying PM tools became more present. Even though no clear connection between the previous work experience of the entrepreneur and the applied PM tools could be established, it was noticeable that prior exposure to PM made the entrepreneurs more aware of the methods and tools. They specifically looked for some and used them more knowingly. Further drivers for choosing a PM method and tools were recommendations and personal research. Next to the stage and scale of the business, especially the team size, the location of the team members and their familiarity with each other appeared to influence the decision on using specific tools tremendously. In general, it could be detected in this study, that the APM framework was commonly recognized as highly valuable for start-ups and many of the respondents already follow it or want to do so in the future. Moreover, primarily only one or very few tools were applied within the start-ups to not lose track of the business development and keep everything concise.