Teaching Entrepreneurship: How Prepared are Romanian Educators?

Abstract

The challenges of the knowledge-based economy, entrepreneurship, and the digital world determine radical changes, not only to the teaching of younger generations but also in the education of teachers. Numerous (EU or otherwise) studies highlight the fact that, despite ample political and managerial rhetoric, entrepreneurial abilities, and values, are rarely implemented in teacher training programs. Beyond a novel and change-inducing aspect, the challenge of teaching entrepreneurship is not only an issue of acquiring knowledge on launching and managing a business but rather of developing attitudes and abilities required to act in an entrepreneurial manner. Promoting creative and innovative approaches to learning, encouraging experimentation, and coping with failure (traits which broadly describe the entrepreneurial profile) are slowly integrated into entrepreneurial education. In spite of significant differences between countries, most teachers consider that they require support in their initial education, continuing professional development, and day-to-day activity to perform in the field. In this paper, we present the results of a survey-based research, conducted among high school teachers acting in three counties in northwestern Romania, on the efficiency of teaching entrepreneurship in high school courses, understanding and applying modern educational methods, the involvement of educators in stimulating youths’ interest in economic mechanisms and developing entrepreneurial abilities, such as identifying and exploiting business opportunities, thus outlining a (partial) snapshot of the understanding of the requirements, resources, and realities of entrepreneurial and economic education of its importance in the economic and social development of Romania.