Exploring the Lived Experiences of Entrepreneurial Empowerment and Value Internalization among Participants of Community-Based Training Programs
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Abstract
Entrepreneurship training plays a vital role in fostering economic development and social empowerment, particularly within community-based programs that aim to cultivate self-reliance and creativity among participants. While previous studies have focused on measurable outcomes such as income generation and business performance, limited attention has been given to the lived experiences and subjective meanings that shape entrepreneurial transformation. What remains insufficiently understood is how individuals internalize entrepreneurial values and reconstruct their sense of agency through participation in such training. Using a descriptive phenomenological approach, this study explores how participants experience, interpret, and give meaning to entrepreneurship training as a transformative process. The study involved twelve adult participants (aged 22–45) who had completed a community-based entrepreneurship training program and represented diverse micro-enterprise backgrounds. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed following a structured descriptive phenomenological procedure, including bracketing, horizonalization, eidetic reduction, and imaginative variation to identify the essential structures of lived experience. The findings reveal three core dimensions of transformation: rediscovering self-efficacy, developing empowerment through collective support, and redefining success as moral and social contribution. These themes illustrate that entrepreneurship training extends beyond technical skill-building to become a reflective and existential journey of self-awareness, social connection, and purposeful engagement. The study advances our understanding of entrepreneurship as a human-centered process that integrates emotional, relational, and ethical dimensions into economic action. By clarifying the participant demographics and methodological rigor, this study strengthens the transparency and credibility of its phenomenological contributions. These insights provide a foundation for designing more holistic and empathetic entrepreneurship education models that prioritize human development alongside economic sustainability.
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