“Learning by doing…” “Studentbedrift” som pedagogisk tilnærming til entreprenørskap i yrkesfaglærerutdannelsen

Abstract

Introduction: Society is changing, and with that the challenges vocational teachers meet. Entrepreneurship is today defined as one of the key competences in various educational programs. This article aims to shed light on today’s teaching practice of practical entrepreneurship through the creation, implementation and management of student enterprises. Method: The following data were used within a qualitative approach: seven semi-structured interviews with students, data from course evaluations for the years 2006-2012, a strategic literature search and data from exam assessments for the years 2006 to 2012. Results: Practical related tasks mediated through student enterprises gave a sense of increased competence and an overall picture of future challenges. Not all students described those results as vocationally relevant. Too many students experienced the project student enterprise as negative. Several students’ complaint that focus was only set on commercial activities and the product itself. Dissemination of key values in pedagogical entrepreneurship like social interaction and collaboration was not accomplished. Conclusion: A stronger focus should be set on pedagogical entrepreneurship. This might be achieved if the design focuses increasingly on knowledge, collaboration and teaching skills.