Entrepreneurship training in Primary and Secondary Education: a systematic review

Abstract

Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship competence is becoming highly relevant in the current education system, as the European Union has promoted its inclusion in the educational curriculum. The aim of this study is to analyze the studies on Primary and Secondary Education, in order to deepen in the concept of entrepreneurship, the concrete practices carried out to promote it and the recommendations for educational practice. A systematic review of 43 articles found in the Web of Science, Scopus, Dialnet and ERIC databases has been carried out using Primary Education, Secondary Education, compulsory education and entrepreneurship as keywords. The main conclusions are that the educational practices carried out to promote entrepreneurship are still in a pilot phase through specific experiences developed through subjects or programs, which address the skills, attitudes and phases necessary for the creation of a company, in an innovative and creative way. As a novel aspect, in both educational stages there is a trend to include educational practices oriented towards social entrepreneurship. The main differences by stages are that in Secondary Education the creation of a company is more developed while in Primary Education the development of creativity is emphasized. Most studies are theoretical-descriptive and focus on the Secondary Education stage, despite its inclusion as a key competence in compulsory education, including Primary Education. Finally, the lack of teacher training and of human and economic resources, and the use of ineffective methods to foster such competence are highlighted as the main limitations to the inclusion of entrepreneurship in schools.