An assessment of the attitudes of grade 12 learners toward entrepreneurship in a selected area in the North West province

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to assess the attitude of grade 12 learners towards entrepreneurship. This primary objective was achieved through the discussion and evaluation of the secondary objectives. The secondary objectives included the literature review relative to entrepreneurship, the empirical study and making practical recommendations. The study was conducted in a selected area in the North-West province, with a specific focus on the region as clustered by the Department of Education of the Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality. A comprehensive literature review was conducted. In the literature review entrepreneurship was defined based on an entrepreneur’s point of view and also as a process. The literature review also discussed the current state of entrepreneurship in South Africa, education and training models including measures to fast track entrepreneurship adoption among learners, and various models of entrepreneurial development. The assessment of attitude, entrepreneurial intentions of learners and opportunity recognition were other subjects covered in the literature review chapter. After the literature review, the empirical study was conducted by means of a self- completion questionnaire administered to grade 12 learners. The questionnaire was distributed to a total of 299 learners, and the feedback accumulated to 274 respondents, which represent a good response rate of 92%. Chapter 3 focused on the empirical research by discussing the results obtained from the questionnaire. The questionnaire was structured in such a way that it firstly deals with the respondents’ demographic information, after which it assesses attitude towards entrepreneurship, followed by ways of seizing entrepreneurial opportunities, and establishing the entrepreneurial environment in secondary schools including in South Africa. Furthermore, relations were determined between demographic variables and the constructs used to measure attitude towards entrepreneurship. Following the detailed analysis of chapter 3, conclusions and recommendations were summoned to chapter 4. Overall, the results indicated a view that learners are not entirely pruned to entrepreneurship due influential factors such as their parents’ or guardian’s lack of involvement in business. Furthermore, it also indicated that if learners are afforded constructive mentorship, they can be more inclined to entrepreneurship. Similarly, if they are financially assisted or motivation is provided by the government and private sectors, they can be able to venture into business.