Business Incubation Platform to Increase Student Motivation in Creative Products and Entrepreneurship Courses in Vocational High Schools

2.1 Motivation To Learn

Learning is a dynamic and diverse process involving the interaction of various critical components, including educators, learners, instructional materials, pedagogical models, evaluations, and the overarching educational environment (Adeoye, Prastikawati, & Abimbowo, 2024). Each component is essential in determining the efficacy of schooling. Learning encompasses not just the acquisition of knowledge but also the engagement with one’s environment, adaptation, and evolution based on experiences and interactions with various stimuli. In this process, students serve as the principal executors, implementing concepts acquired in structured and unstructured settings. Learning efficacy is affected by various elements that either promote or obstruct advancement.

Among these characteristics, motivation emerges as a vital driver of learning achievement (Luria, Shalom, & Levy, 2021). Motivation drives students’ excitement, perseverance, and cognitive involvement, eventually influencing their academic achievement. Without motivation, learning may devolve into a passive endeavor, resulting in disengagement and diminished knowledge retention. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that motivated students display elevated curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills, enhancing learning results. A deficiency in motivation frequently leads to diminished academic performance, less engagement, and a waning interest in the subject matter.

Numerous theoretical models have been established to augment student motivation, providing educators with insights to create more interesting and effective learning experiences. The Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) model is a prominent paradigm that systematically enhances and maintains learners’ motivation. The ARCS paradigm, created by John Keller, emphasizes four fundamental factors: Engaging students’ interest and sustaining involvement through interactive experiences (Chang, 2021). Ensuring that educational content is relevant and applicable, assisting students in developing self-efficacy by facilitating incremental mastery of concepts and reinforcing learning through affirmative feedback and practical applications.

In addition to the ARCS model, various theories have enhanced the comprehension of learning motivation, notably McClelland’s Needs Theory, which highlights achievement, power, and affiliation as key motivators (Dostert & Müller, 2021). Goal-setting theory emphasizes establishing distinct, difficult, and achievable objectives to enhance motivation and performance (Latham, 2023). In contrast, Cognitive Evaluation Theory examines the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on learning behavior (Hsu, 2022). The ARIAS Motivational Model Theory emphasizes autonomy, relatedness, and competence (Gil-Arias et al., 2021). In contrast, the ARSC Motivational Capital Theory builds upon the ARCS model by integrating social and contextual factors affecting motivation (Ma & Lee, 2021).

Motivation has become increasingly essential in the digital and distance education age. Without instructors and peer contact, students in online education frequently have difficulties with engagement and self-discipline. The ARSC model has been recognized as an effective framework for evaluating and enhancing motivation in interactive and digital learning contexts (Bozkurt, Nacak, Karakaş, & Çiftçi, 2025). The fundamental elements – engaging students via multimedia and interactive features, aligning educational resources with career objectives, fostering student confidence through personalized learning experiences, and reinforcing knowledge through incentives and practical applications – have demonstrated efficacy in improving engagement in remote education.

Comprehending learning motivation and its diverse theoretical underpinnings is crucial for formulating effective educational tactics. Motivation is the primary catalyst for student engagement, information retention, and academic achievement in traditional classrooms or digital learning environments. By integrating organized motivation models, educators can develop learning experiences that inspire, challenge, and empower students, resulting in improved educational outcomes and enduring learning habits.

2.2 Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a mentality and procedure that links market opportunities with expertise, allowing individuals to create creative business solutions (Kuratko, Fisher, & Audretsch, 2021). Entrepreneurship is not a solitary concept; it comprises a blend of abilities, attitudes, and strategic decision-making that enable individuals to recognize and exploit economic possibilities. Entrepreneurship fundamentally correlates with personal characteristics, including creativity, resilience, and risk management. The fundamental entrepreneurial attributes encompass a sense of responsibility, judicious risk-taking, unwavering commitment, and the capacity to utilize resources efficiently to create value (Pirhadi, Soleimanof, & Feyzbakhsh, 2023). These characteristics define successful entrepreneurs and impact the design of entrepreneurship education to cultivate such competencies in students.

Recent breakthroughs in educational technology, online learning platforms, and entrepreneurship education have significantly revolutionized entrepreneurship teaching, especially within vocational education. The amalgamation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with adaptive learning platforms has facilitated personalized education, wherein AI-driven tutors, such as those on platforms like Khanmigo (Alomair, 2024), offer tailored learning experiences, enhancing student engagement and understanding of business principles.

The global EdTech business has grown swiftly, with forecasts predicting it would attain $404 billion by 2025 (Nichols & Dixon-Román, 2024). This expansion underscores the growing dependence on digital platforms and technology-enhanced educational solutions, rendering entrepreneurship education more accessible and efficient. Moreover, experiential learning approaches, such as corporate simulations and gamification, have become increasingly significant. These technologies facilitate students’ engagement in authentic business settings, enhancing their problem-solving and strategic decision-making abilities. Moreover, unconventional educational platforms like TikTok and YouTube have surfaced as prevalent channels for entrepreneurial instruction, offering captivating, easily digestible content that improves learning adaptability (Nguyen & Diederich, 2023).

The function of business incubators has transformed considerably in aiding startups and entrepreneurial endeavors. Contemporary incubators offer organized coaching, investment opportunities, and collaborative environments, allowing nascent enterprises to enhance their models and scale efficiently. Research demonstrates that incubators play a crucial role in fostering startup success, especially in economies characterized by robust digital innovation ecosystems (Cavallo, Ghezzi, & Rossi-Lamastra, 2021; Gumbo & Moos, 2024; Silvestro, de Matos, da Silva, dos Santos Reis, & Teixeira, 2024).

Business incubation methods are progressively being incorporated into the curricula of universities and vocational schools. Institutions are creating incubators as training environments, enabling students to implement theoretical knowledge in practical contexts. This method connects academic education with industry requirements, providing students with practical experience in product development, business modeling, and market strategy. These projects promote creativity, improve entrepreneurial abilities, and offer a systematic route for students to go from education to business ownership.

Incorporating digital learning, AI-enhanced education, and company incubation models directly impacts the instruction and application of entrepreneurship in vocational high schools. The suggested INCUBE company incubation platform conforms to contemporary methodologies by providing students with a systematic, technology-enhanced entrepreneurial education. By rectifying existing deficiencies in entrepreneurship education, INCUBE offers a pragmatic solution that improves student engagement, cultivates practical business acumen, and facilitates the development of future entrepreneurs within the digital economy.

2.3 Business Incubation

An evolution is being incubated. In the field of medicine, incubation refers to the development of a disease symptom or growth in an infant. Incubation, on the other hand, is described in the business sector by Hewick from the Canadian Business Incubator as the process of fostering competent entrepreneurs in a workspace run by an institution (Yuslem, Nawawi, & Dahrul, 2022). A business incubator, on the other hand, is defined as a nurturing facility or a hatchery for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly in a business sense (Rafiana, 2023). So, an organization that fosters the development of businesses is known as a business incubator.

Business incubators are often referred to as the name of an office or place. However, since the popularity of StartUp development, business incubators are no longer just a building for consultation between mentors and incubation participants (Clayton, 2024). Instead, it can be a competition and a platform. In Indonesia, there have been many incubator and business accelerator programs online and offline, in an effort to give birth to many new entrepreneurs (Habiburrahman et al., 2022). There are several popular business incubator programs in Indonesia, such as 1001Startup, The Next Dev, Mikti, Edeavor, Indigo, and many more. The large number of business incubator programs indicates that business incubators are an effective solution for the development of the creative economy in Indonesia (Anjaningrum, Sidi, Yogatama, Hermawati, & Suci, 2023). In line with Adibah’s opinion, that business incubators are a tool that is widely used by developing countries including Indonesia, as a means of developing new businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (Surbakti & Nurzaman, 2025). The Indonesian government has also shown its support for the business incubator program through Presidential Regulation no. 27 of 2013 concerning Development of Entrepreneurial Incubators.

2.4 Web Based Learning

Web-based learning is an example of a platform that requires a browser in order to function at all (Anwyl-Irvine, Dalmaijer, Hodges, & Evershed, 2021). The web is a collection of websites connected by connections and containing various types of information in the form of images, text, or sound (Ida Ayu Sutarini, Safitri, Maulida, & Putra, 2024). One of the factors promoting the growth of distance learning is the use of the internet as a learning tool. In a number of European nations in the middle of the 1800s, distance learning started to gain international recognition (Rubayet & Imam, 2021). The efficacy of teaching and learning activities is the sole goal of employing web technology as a learning medium. Web-based learning is the term typically used to describe the use of the internet as a learning tool (Mehrolia, Alagarsamy, & Indhu Sabari, 2021). Because all forms of learning, including discussion boards through email, video conferencing, and live streaming learning, can be done online. Web-based learning is also sometimes referred to as online learning or E-learning (Ubaydullaeva et al., 2024).

There are many advantages for teachers and students in using the web as a learning medium. Some of the advantages include efficiency in delivering learning materials and materials, learning materials can be accessed anywhere and anytime, learning links can be made into various formats, and access to learning has the potential to be developed (Anyim, 2021). Several differences between traditional learning and web-based learning are shown in Table 1.

2.5 Design Thinking

Design thinking is a development model that uses an innovative approach considering several factors such as humans, business, and technology (Bartoloni et al., 2022). Design thinking was developed by the Hasso-Plattner-Institue (HPI) in Potsdam, Germany. Design thinking is a learning approach that focuses on solving problems, investigating solutions, creating prototypes, collaboration, and reflection (Verganti, Dell’Era, & Swan, 2021). Design thinking contains an iterative process. It is an iterative process because it involves understanding the user, challenging assumptions, defining the problem, and identifying strategies and solutions, which may not be obtained with the initial understanding, so they must be repeated. Several stages must be passed when developing media using design thinking, including (1) Emphasize, (2) Define, (3) Ideate, (4) Prototype, and (5) Test (Verganti et al., 2021) (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Stages of design thinking.

This study’s theoretical framework integrates entrepreneurship education, online learning, company incubation, and design thinking to enhance student learning and motivation in vocational education. These parts are interconnected, each facilitating the advancement of a contemporary, efficient pedagogical method for instructing entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship education has adapted to the requirements of the digital economy, necessitating that students cultivate both business insight and technological expertise (Yu & Jiang, 2021). Conventional teaching methods frequently neglect to include students in practical business applications, prompting the introduction of innovative pedagogical models like business incubation and online learning. Business incubators offer a systematic environment for cultivating entrepreneurial competencies and assisting students in conceptualizing, designing, and initiating their business ventures. Incubators in educational contexts necessitate excellent instructional strategies to guarantee student engagement and knowledge application, wherein web-based learning is crucial.

Web-based learning improves accessibility, interaction, and engagement, making it an invaluable entrepreneurial education resource. In contrast to conventional classroom environments, online platforms offer adaptable, individualized, and technology-enhanced educational experiences. Students can communicate, obtain mentorship, and simulate authentic entrepreneurial processes using web-based incubation platforms such as INCUBE. Research has substantiated the efficacy of web-based learning in entrepreneurship education, highlighting its capacity to augment student involvement, foster critical thinking, and boost information retention.

The Design Thinking approach effectively organizes entrepreneurial learning in a web-based incubation environment. Design Thinking is a problem-solving paradigm that parallels the entrepreneurial process, as both entail problem identification, solution ideation, prototyping, and testing. This study uses Design Thinking as the educational framework to guide students through incubation. The five stages of Design Thinking – Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test – correspond to the business creation phases, rendering it an ideal framework for entrepreneurship education. This study integrates Design Thinking with web-based learning, enabling students to grasp theoretical concepts and apply them in a controlled, iterative process that simulates real-world business development.

Consequently, the relationship between entrepreneurial education, business incubation, online learning, and design thinking constitutes a cohesive pedagogical framework. Business incubation establishes a systematic framework for entrepreneurial education, online platforms improve interaction and accessibility, and Design Thinking presents a process-oriented approach to learning and innovation. Collectively, these elements establish a cohesive, technology-augmented educational structure that equips students for the demands of contemporary entrepreneurship.

3.1 Emphasize

In this stage, observations are carried out on the target users who will be the subject of application trials, namely, vocational students. The observation stage spread initial observations across 3 vocational schools, namely SMKN 1 Purwosari Pasuruan, SMKN 4 Malang, and SMKN 6 Malang. Based on the results of initial observations that the researcher carried out by distributing questionnaires and interviews with several students with Software Engineering (RPL) competency skills and several teachers in Creative Project and Entrepreneurship (CPE) subjects at Vocational High Schools, the following information was obtained:

1. As many as 82.1% of students in the list of respondents operate their smartphones for more than 4 h a day, and 66.7% have adequate internet access.

2. Most of the products produced by students from creative projects and entrepreneurship subjects are conventional and non-linear products with RPL expertise. The observation data found that 64.1% of all respondents produced products such as processed food, drinks, crafts, and conventional buying and selling businesses.

3. Students’ interest in learning creative projects and entrepreneurship subjects is high.

4. Learning based on product development is rarely carried out. Hence, the products students produce lack innovation and have minimal supporting outcomes.

5. Students do not know enough about business incubation activities.

3.2 Define

From the previous stage, namely Emphatize, some data on habits, infrastructure, and motivation from students were obtained. In the Define stage, researchers must summarize some of this data into user needs data as material for designing learning media products. Several needs can be concluded, as follows:

1. Supported by students using gadgets for quite a long time, electronic learning media that utilizes the gadgets owned by students is needed.

2. A new learning system is needed to help balance the skills of RPL students with the products produced in Creative and Entrepreneurship Project (CPE) subjects.

3. Conditioning efforts are needed so that CPE learning carried out by students and supporting teachers can produce a product full of innovations.

4. There needs to be an introduction and application of business incubation in teaching and learning activities.

3.3 Ideate

From the results of observations that have been defined as data on user needs, solutions are provided that are able to answer user needs at this stage. Based on the needs that have been defined, the researcher provides a solution in the form of developing learning media with the concept of business incubation, which is applied to support creative and entrepreneurial project learning in Vocational High Schools. A business incubation platform (business incubator) is a medium for maturing business ideas and equipment. Following the problems obtained, the developed business incubator is focused on incubating business ideas engaged in digital industries such as e-commerce, software houses, smart homes, the game industry, and the like. The media is designed to run on the website platform to suit the habits of students who use much time operating smartphones and laptops. In this stage, the incubation stage in learning media is also defined into 6 steps as follows:

1. Product Abstract: This is the step in formulating initial business ideas and products that will be designed in abstract form.

2. Team Formation: In this step, students form a team (study group) of 3 people. From this team, tasks must be divided according to the net. As for the division of tasks themselves, they are divided into 3 roles that are commonly used in startups, namely Hustler (team leader), Hipster (responsible for design and publication), and Hacker (responsible for technology).

3. Business Model: students carry out a detailed design of the concept and business model that will be built using the Business Model Canvas format. In this stage, the team (study group) again details the business idea, which was originally an abstract form, converted into a 9-point Business Model Canvas. The nine points of the Business Model Canvas, namely (1) Consumer Segmentation, (2) Consumer Value Proposition, (3) Channels, (4) Sources of Income, (5) Resources, (6) Consumer Relations, (7) Activities carried out, and (8) Cooperation.

4. Logo and Prototype: After forming the business model, each group must formulate a logo and make a prototyping design for their respective products. So, this stage is also the initial effort in the product branding process.

5. Product Publication: in this step, each group must make a poster containing product information and a product video as output to support the publication of the business and product being designed.

6. Product Presentation: In the final stage of incubation, students must make a presentation file (pitch deck) to introduce the product directly through presentations.

3.4 Prototype

Prototype is the fourth stage of Design Thinking. At this stage, the idea formulated in the previous stage is implemented into a usage scenario for an application or trial product.

3.5 Test

The trials in this study were divided into three types: Alpha Testing, Beta Testing, and Learning Motivation Testing. Alpha testing is media testing that is assessed from the developer’s point of view, and expert judgment experts carried out the test (Wien & Jung, 2024). In this study, Alpha Testing was divided into media feasibility tests by media experts and material feasibility tests by material experts. Validation by media experts was carried out to obtain media feasibility data. The indicators that media experts will assess are in Table 3. After that, material experts validate the material presented in the media to obtain data on the suitability of the material with the learning objectives of the elements taken. The indicators that material experts will assess are in Table 2.

Meanwhile, Beta Testing tests media and material aspects carried out by target users, namely students. The final test is a motivation test carried out to know students’ motivation and interest in the subject after using the media.

The development and evaluation of the INCUBE business incubation platform followed a structured research methodology using the Design Thinking model, which consists of five key stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. The testing phase involved three levels of evaluation: Alpha Testing, Beta Testing, and Learning Motivation Testing.

In Alpha Testing, experts in instructional media and subject matter evaluated the platform’s feasibility. The evaluation criteria included usefulness, ease of use, learning, and user satisfaction. The validation process involved calculating the mean rating for each category and determining the percentage of agreement among experts.

Beta Testing was conducted with vocational high school students to assess the platform’s usability, effectiveness, and engagement level. A pretest–posttest design was implemented, where students were assessed on their entrepreneurial learning outcomes before and after using INCUBE. The sample size for this phase was determined using Cohen’s power analysis to ensure adequate statistical power (0.80) at an alpha level of 0.05, ensuring that the study could detect meaningful differences between pretest and posttest scores.

For the Learning Motivation Testing, the study employed a quasi-experimental design with a paired-sample t-test to measure the significance of changes in students’ motivation levels before and after using INCUBE. The key statistical tests used in the study are detailed below:

1. Descriptive Statistics:

   • Mean, standard deviation, and percentage scores were computed for each test phase to summarize participant responses and expert evaluations.

   • Data normality was tested using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, ensuring the normality assumption was met before applying parametric tests.

2. Paired-Sample t-Test:

   • Used to compare pretest and posttest motivation scores, testing whether the observed changes were statistically significant.

   • Assumptions:

     1. The difference scores should be normally distributed (tested via Shapiro–Wilk).

     2. The samples should be related (paired data from the same students).

   • Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were computed to measure the magnitude of the effect, with interpretations as follows:

     1. d = 0.2 (small effect);

     2. d = 0.5 (moderate effect); and

     3. d = 0.8 (large effect).

3. N-Gain Score Analysis:

   • Used to determine the effectiveness of INCUBE in improving student motivation.

   • Formula:

        N-Gain = Posttest Score−Pretest Score Maximum Score−Pretest Score

        N\text{−} Gain = \frac{\text{Posttest Score} − \text{Pretest Score}}{\text{Maximum Score} − \text{Pretest Score}}

        N-Gain = Maximum Score−Pretest Score Posttest Score−Pretest Score

   • Interpretation of N-Gain values:

     1. g ≥ 0.70: High effectiveness;

     2. 0.30 ≤ g < 0.70: Moderate effectiveness; and

     3. g < 0.30: Low effectiveness.

4. Confidence Intervals and p-Values:

   • 95% Confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to provide a range within which the true effect likely falls, increasing the reliability of the findings.

   • p-Values were reported for all statistical tests, with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. This ensures that the improvements observed were unlikely to have occurred by chance.

Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of the survey instruments to ensure the reliability of the study. A threshold of α > 0.70 was considered acceptable. In terms of validity, the study used content validation by expert judges and construct validation via factor analysis to confirm that the motivation assessment tool measured what it intended to.

This rigorous statistical approach, including paired-sample t-tests, effect size calculations, N-Gain analysis, confidence intervals, and p-values, ensures that the findings on the impact of INCUBE on student motivation and learning are robust and reliable. By clearly detailing the statistical methods used, this section enhances the transparency and replicability of the research.

The INCUBE business incubation platform was evaluated through a series of structured tests, each assessing different aspects of its feasibility, usability, and effectiveness. The results from these evaluations are summarized in Tables 2–4, which provide insights into the quality and impact of INCUBE as an educational tool.

Table 2 outlines the three levels of testing used to validate INCUBE: Alpha Testing, Beta Testing, and Learning Motivation Testing. Alpha Testing involved media and subject matter experts assessing the platform’s content and technical feasibility. Beta Testing focused on student usability and was conducted with vocational high school students enrolled in the Creative Projects and Entrepreneurship (CPE) course. Finally, Learning Motivation Testing measured changes in student motivation before and after using INCUBE. The number of participants in each phase was carefully determined to meet statistical power requirements, ensuring the reliability of the findings.

Table 3 presents the evaluation criteria used in Alpha Testing to assess the platform’s usability and effectiveness. Four key indicators were measured: usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning, and user satisfaction. Each indicator was assigned a set of assessment items, which experts rated based on predefined usability standards. The results showed that INCUBE received high validation scores across all indicators, confirming the platform’s well-designed and functional.

Table 4 details the evaluation metrics used to assess the quality of learning content provided in INCUBE. Three primary indicators were examined: learning design, content material, and language and communication. Learning design focuses on the clarity of objectives and alignment with course requirements. Content material evaluated the depth and relevance of the instructional content, and language and communication assessed readability and instructional clarity. The results indicated that INCUBE met high content validity standards, with minor revisions suggested for enhancement.

The evaluation confirmed that INCUBE is a valid and effective learning tool for vocational high school students in entrepreneurship education. The structured testing approach, including Alpha Testing, Beta Testing, and Learning Motivation Testing, provided comprehensive insights into its usability, content relevance, and impact on student motivation.

By employing statistical analyses, including paired-sample t-tests, N-Gain calculations, effect size measurements, and confidence interval assessments, the study ensured objective validation of INCUBE’s effectiveness. The results demonstrated that students who used INCUBE significantly improved learning motivation and engagement, supporting the platform’s potential for broader implementation in vocational education.

These findings underscore the importance of integrating business incubation models into entrepreneurship education, particularly through digital platforms like INCUBE. By aligning instructional strategies with modern digital learning methodologies, this research advances innovative, student-centered educational approaches that prepare students for the digital economy’s demands.