The enhancement of selected entrepreneurial competencies of grade 11 learners in Business Studies

Abstract

South Africa is currently experiencing a high unemployment rate, especially among the youth, and it is believed that entrepreneurial activity could promote job creation, offering a solution to this challenge and simultaneously contributing to the economic growth of the country. Sound entrepreneurial education at secondary school level could enhance various entrepreneurial competencies, of which seven were focussed on in this study, namely problem recognition and -solving, creativity, flexibility, risk-taking, goal orientation and planning. A quantitative research design involving an intervention on an experimental group 1 and experimental group 2 of secondary school learners was applied. Firstly experimental group 1 was exposed to the intervention while experimental group 2 attended normal classes. After completion of the intervention on experimental group 1, experimental group 2 was subjected to the same intervention, embracing 24 days (28 sessions of 40 minutes) of active learning in a simulated business set-up. The learners were subjected to three tests at different stages to measure the possible enhancement of the selected entrepreneurial competencies in both experimental group 1 and group 2. The results clearly showed an enhancement of the selected entrepreneurial competencies after an intervention embracing an extended Business Studies curriculum.