Preliminary communication
Self-assessment of Croatian elementary school pupils on the entrepreneurial initiative
Dijana Vican
; University of Zadar
Daliborka Vuletić
; University of Zadar
Abstract
Defining entrepreneurship as an educational value, the educational systems and society demonstrate commitment to recognize a socio-cultural value – the entrepreneurship, and accordingly, to realize entrepreneurial competencies among pupils. The request to encourage the early development of initiative and entrepreneurial competencies is articulated at structural and procedural levels of curricular approaches and changes in educational systems. This study examines self-assessment of entrepreneurial initiative among elementary school pupils in Croatia in order to detect pupils’ entrepreneurial characteristics and preferences. Since self-assessment and pupils' attitudes indicate a potentially entrepreneurial activity, the aim of the research is to identify the components of entrepreneurial competencies that need to be optimized within the formal education system. Therefore, the research was conducted at the national level on a sample of 1,962 elementary school pupils. Research results show that pupils positively evaluated entrepreneurial initiative, seeing it as an implicit characteristic of their own activities and involvement, and not as an explicit and anticipated one. Therefore, the multidimensionality of entrepreneurial initiative self-assessment by primary school pupils was not confirmed. Nevertheless, the positive preferences of pupils were expressed, although insufficiently brought to consciousness. The survey confirmed gender and age differences that were reflected in the differences in the evaluation and entrepreneurial experience. The results indicate the need to affirm teaching entrepreneurship in their daily activities, a clearer articulation of its educational components and fostering synergy between education levels and among teaching subjects.
Keywords
entrepreneurship; education for entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial competences; self-assessment in entrepreneurial education
Hrčak ID:
112638
URI
Publication date:
16.12.2013.
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