Grade 10 teachers’ perspectives on the integration of entrepreneurship education in the Business Studies Curriculum

Abstract

Schools still produce graduates who are job seekers rather than job creators. Even though there is an outcry from the public for a decolonised curriculum, the South African school curriculum is more focused on academics than vocational and skills-based education. This study strongly believes that the issue of integrating and incorporating entrepreneurship education in the Business Studies curriculum instead of being freely offered as an independent component contributes to this. Primarily, this study centred on the exploration of Grade 10 teachers’ perspectives on the integration of entrepreneurship education in the Business Studies curriculum. The teachers’ perspectives were gathered using the questionnaires and supplemented with an official document analysis. A qualitative research approach was employed in conjunction with the adoption of purposive sampling with a sample of eight teachers who taught Business Studies in Grade 10. One of the research findings that was highlighted in this study was that teachers agreed that the present curriculum is in a good state with no need for the disintegration of the topic of entrepreneurship. Recommendations were made targeting different stakeholders within the education sector. One of the main recommendations was that the Department of Basic Education should offer adequate support to the teachers who are teaching Business Studies with a further recommendation that curriculum designers need to adjust the entrepreneurship content and not limit it to entrepreneurial qualities. Even though the study’s results showed a positive response as far as the entrepreneurship topic is concerned, the study concludes that there is a need for the Department of Basic Education to review the structure, sequence, pace and weightings of the Business Studies curriculum and the balance of topics and sub-topics paying attention to the entrepreneurship component. By doing so, teachers may have ample time to expose the learners to the different subject aspects. The study also recommends that teachers should be encouraged to adopt a learner-centred approach such as case studies and project-based learning when teaching the entrepreneurship topic to promote learners’ active participation during the lessons.

Skole lewer steeds leerders wat eerder werksoekers as werkskeppers is. Nieteenstaande die feit dat die publiek luid protester omdat hulle ’n gedekoloniseerde kurrikulum wil hê, bly die Suid-Afrikaanse skoolkurrikulum meer op die akademie as op beroeps- en vaardigheidsgebaseerde onderrig gefokus. Hierdie studie glo sterk dat die saak vererger word deur die integrasie en inkorporasie van entrepreneurskaponderrig in die Besigheidstudie-kurrikulum in plaas daarvan om dit vryelik as ’n onafhanklike komponent aan te bied. Hierdie studie is primêr daarop gemik om ondersoek in te stel na Graad 10 onderwysers se perspektiewe ten opsigte van die integrasie van entrepreneurskaponderrig in die Besigheidstudie-kurrikulum. Die onderwysers se perspektiewe is ingesamel deur middel van vraelyste wat met ’n amptelike dokumentanalise aangevul is. Die studie het ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gevolg in samehang met ’n doelbewuste steekproefneming van agt onderwysers wat Besigheidstudies in Graad 10 onderrig. Een van die navorsingsbevindinge het beklemtoon dat onderwysers saamstem dat die huidige kurrikulum daar goed uitsien en dat dit nie nodig is om die entrepreneurskaponderwerp te skei nie. Aanbevelings is gemaak wat op verskillende belanghebbers in die onderwyssektor fokus. Een van die belangrikste aanbevelings was dat die Departement van Basiese Onderwys voldoende ondersteuning moet bied aan onderwysers wat Besigheidstudies onderrig en dat kurrikulumontwerpers die entrepreneurskapinhoud moet aanpas en dit nie tot entrepreneurskapkwaliteite beperk nie. Hoewel die studie se resultate ’n positiewe respons ten opsigte van die entrepreneurskaponderwerp gekry het, het die studie tot die slotsom gekom dat daar wel ’n behoefte is vir die Departement van Basiese Onderwys om die struktuur, volgorde, pas en gewigstoekenning van die Besigheidstudies-kurrikulum sowel as die res van die onderwerpe en subonderwerpe te hersien. Spesiale aandag moet aan die entrepreneurskapkomponent geskenk word. Dit sal aan onderwysers genoegsame tyd gee om leerders aan die verskillende aspekte van die vak bloot te stel. Die studie het ook aanbeveel dat onderwysers aangemoedig moet word om ’n leerdergesentreerde benadering te volg. Hulle moet byvoorbeeld gevallestudies en projekgebaseerde leer aanwend wanneer hulle die entrepreneurskaponderwerp aanbied ten einde leerders se aktiewe deelname gedurende die lesse te bevorder.

Namanje izikole zisakhiqiza abafundi abaneziqu okuyibona abafuna umsebenzi kunokuba babe ngabasunguli bemisebenzi. Nakuba umphakathi ukhalela ukuqedwa kwekharikhulamu yengcindezelo, uhlelo lokufunda ezikoleni zaseNingizimu Afrika lusagxile kakhulu ezintweni ezifundwayo kunemfundo yamakhono emisebenzi yezandla. Lolu cwaningo lukholelwa kakhulu ukuthi lokhu kuyahambisana nodaba lokuhlanganisa nokufaka imfundo yezokuqala ibhizinisi ngaphansi kwekharikhulamu yeZifundo Zezamabhizinisi esikhundleni sokuthi le mfundo ibe uhlaka oluzimele. Lolu cwaningo lugxile kakhulu ekuhloleni imibono yothisha Bebanga le-10 mayelana nokuhlanganiswa kwemfundo yezokuqala ibhizinisi ngaphansi kwekharikhulamu yeZifundo Zezamabhizinisi. Imibono yothisha iqoqwe kusetshenziswa uhlu lwemibuzo kanye nangokuhlaziya imibhalo esemthethweni. Lapha kusetshenziswe uhlelo lokucwaninga iqophelo oluhambisana nokuthathwa kwesampula kothisha abayisishiyagalombili abafundisa iZifundo Zezamabhizinisi ngaphansi Kwebanga le-10. Kweminye yemiphumela kugqame ukuthi othisha bavumelana nokuthi ikharikhulamu yamanje isesimweni esihle futhi asikho isidingo sokuba kuhlakazwe imfundo yezokuqala ibhizinisi izimele. Kuye kwenziwa izincomo eziqondiswe kubabambiqhaza abehlukene emkhakheni wezemfundo. Esinye sezincomo ezisemqoka kwaba ukuthi uMnyango Wezemfundo Eyisisekelo kufanele ubaseke ngokwanele othisha abafundisa iZifundo Zezamabhizinisi, kanye nokuthi labo abadweba ikharikhulamu kumele balungise ingqikithi yemfundo yezokuqala ibhizinisi bangagcini nje ngokwazisa ngobuhle bokuqala ibhizinisi kuphela. Nakuba imiphumela yocwaningo ikhombise ubuhle mayelana nodaba lwesihloko semfundo yezokuqala ibhizinisi, ucwaningo luphethe ngokuthi kunesidingo sokuthi uMnyango Wezemfundo Eyisisekelo ubuyekeze ukwakheka, ukulandelana, isivinini kanye nesisindo sekharikhulamu Yezifundo Zezamabhizinisi ngokunjalo nokulinganiswa kwezihloko nezihlokwana ezibhekelele imfundo yezokuqala ibhizinisi. Lokhu kuzonika othisha isikhathi esanele sokwazisa abafundi ngemikhakha ehlukene yalesi sifundo. Lolu cwaningo luphinde lwancoma ukuthi othisha kumele bagqugquzelwe ukuthi basebenzise indlela yokufundisa ngokugxile kubafundi okufaka phakathi imibhalo ecwaningiwe nokufunda okususela kumaphrojekthi uma befundisa ngezifundo zokuqala ibhizinisi ukuze kukhuthazeke abafundi bakwazi ukubamba iqhaza uma kufundiswa.