Gig: Mapping Worldview-Level Beliefs That Shape Entrepreneurial Orientation Among UNCC Students
UNC Charlotte Gig Training Program
Gig Internship
Closes on Monday, August 3, 2026
Job Description
Mentality Innovation Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to helping people and communities enhance their well-being by providing skills and tools to understand and manage their deep beliefs and values. The Center's work is grounded in mentology — the theory and practice of studying and changing mentality — which focuses on the core belief systems that drive human desires, decisions, and behavior. The Center's activities span research, education, and applied practice in the realm of mentality, with focus areas including personal development, group collaboration, cross-cultural communication, and understanding people.
The Project
This is a planned pilot study to explore the worldview-level beliefs that shape entrepreneurial orientation among UNCC students. The goal is to identify thinking patterns that may naturally support or inhibit entrepreneurial initiative, without making normative judgments.
The study is intended to use a mixed-methods design, combining qualitative interviews in an initial phase with a broader structured survey in a follow-up phase. Students participating as Research Assistants would support activities such as interview scheduling and coordination, transcription, thematic coding, survey distribution, and basic data analysis.
All research will be conducted in compliance with UNCC institutional requirements and IRB standards. All student subject participation will be voluntary and anonymized. Student Research Assistant participation will not exceed 40 hours.
Learning Experience
The Research Assistant will gain hands-on experience in academic research methodology, including qualitative interview design, thematic coding, survey instrument development, and quantitative data analysis. They will develop competencies in research ethics and IRB compliance, project coordination, and academic writing and reporting. This experience is broadly applicable across fields including psychology, sociology, business, education, and data science, and provides meaningful preparation for graduate study or professional roles in research, consulting, or organizational development. Students may also be credited in any resulting publications or conference presentations.
Outcomes
1. Map of Student Worldview-Level Beliefs — Identification of belief patterns across student groups related to entrepreneurship, including summaries of qualitative interview themes.
2. Belief Clusters / Profiles — Results showing natural groupings of beliefs and their relationship to entrepreneurial orientation.
3. Associations with Entrepreneurial Attitudes — Analysis showing which belief patterns correlate with higher or lower entrepreneurial orientation.
4. Report / Presentation for UNCC — A concise summary of findings for university stakeholders, highlighting insights relevant to program design.
5. Optional Academic Output — Findings may be prepared for conference presentation or publication, with student contributor credit where applicable.
6. Intern Participation Documentation — Records of the student's involvement, including hours, roles, and learning outcomes.
UNC Charlotte Gig Training Program