2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) is a critical area of research in engineering education due to the value of entrepreneurial skills in professional society, often contextualized through cognitive, behavioral, and emotional elements. However, little research emphasizes the emotional component, neglecting the importance of the emotions students experience throughout the EM development process and the emotional support they receive. Narrative inquiry work in the engineering discipline tends to reveal students' reliance on emotional support, such as a sense of belonging being influenced by perceptions of emotional understanding among a community of students. However, this study is the first of its kind to investigate the emotional support element of EM within a narrative inquiry context. In the precursor to this study, 17 narratives of students' experiences in a biomedical engineering research program were analyzed, revealing that a crucial part of their EM development throughout the program and their undergraduate experience included a reliance on emotional support systems and structures. The current study further explored this theme, using thematic analysis to develop sub-themes related to the context of the support described, the individuals or entities providing the support, and the outcomes of the provided support. It was found that students commonly expressed seeking/receiving support from research mentors, family, and peers across multiple contexts. This emotional support results in academic successes, research knowledge, career reflection and direction, and positive mental health outcomes. Further work in the EM development space should highlight the importance of the emotional contexts of EM and encourage students to make meaningful connections that help them through the emotional processes of risk taking and stress that come with an Entrepreneurial Mindset.