Children as changemakers by social entrepreneurship education. Poster presentation held at EAPRIL Conference 2022, 23-25 November, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Summary
Primary schools face the challenge of preparing children to participate in and create a better world.
One way to do this is by providing Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE). SEE connects children with the real world and with issues in the field of sustainable development and stimulates them to be changemakers. The central question in the presented research was what, in the perception of primary school teachers, characterizes (elements of) SEE. The results of this qualitative, exploratory research include: teachers relate (elements of) SEE to ‘engagement’ in the mission statement and vision of the school, to a learning environment that characterizes itself by ‘learning by doing’ and reflecting and to a ‘whole school approach’.

Introduction
Over the last decades, the awareness is growing that good education includes civic education and education for sustainability (e.g. O'Donoghue et al., 2018; UNESCO, 2020). This research is based on the assumption that Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE) is a powerful way to do this. SEE is conceptualized as education that addresses a) engagement (based on empathy, compassion and care) as incentive for contributing to sustainable development; b) entrepreneurship: the process of recognizing opportunities, generating ideas, taking initiatives and creating value; and c) the interaction between both (Van der Wal-Maris, 2019).
SEE combines classroom and extracurricular learning: students participate in the real world, come into contact with issues in the field of sustainable development and find solutions for these issues (creating value). SEE prepares them for their role as change agents (cf. Sinakou et al., 2019; Van der Wal-Maris, 2019).
Although SEE is beginning to gain ground in higher education in the Netherlands and worldwide, it is still in early stages in primary and secondary education (OECD/EU, 2019, p. 7). Until now, hardly any research has been done on (the implementation of) SEE in primary education.

Research questions
This exploratory research focused on how primary schools in the Netherlands integrate (elements of) SEE in their curriculum. The main research question was: What, in the perception of the teachers, are characteristics of the mission and vision, the curriculum and the design of the learning environment, and what are critical factors for designing (elements of) SEE?

Research design, instruments and methods for data analysis
This qualitative and exploratory research took place after a literature study on design principles for SEE. Primary schools were selected on the basis of (elements of) SEE in their description of the school profile. Four schools accepted our invitation to participate in the study. Subsequently semi-structured group interviews were conducted with teachers (and sometimes also the head of the school) (n= 17). Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews were made and then analyzed using a more and more precise category system. Finally a process of data reduction, data representation, conclusion and verification (Miles & Huberman, 1994) leaded to the description and illustration of school portraits and general characteristics of SEE.

Research results
When talking about (elements of) SEE in other terms, teachers (and head of school) relate this to their mission and vision. The mission and vision of their schools emphasize ‘engagement with the other and the world’ and ‘engagement with yourself’. The interviewees also see a connection between (elements of) SEE in the curriculum on the one hand and the Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) and core objectives of humanities, art education and social and emotional development on the other hand. In the perception of the teachers the learning environment for (elements of) SEE characterizes itself by ‘learning by doing’, investigating real-life authentic issues, taking initiative and reflecting on experiences. The teachers (and head of school) emphasize the importance of taking on a supporting and coaching role while providing SEE. They also mention several factors that lead to success of (elements of) SEE, for instance: a whole school approach, quality management, freedom of choice for students and responding to current events. Hindering factors in their experience include a lack of guts and a mono-cultural school population.

Main conclusions
The teachers emphasize the importance of sustainable development education in primary education and of the development of an entrepreneurial mindset in children. They express this while talking about the mission and vision, the curriculum and the design of the learning environment. Although the schools do show elements of SEE, the concept 'Social Entrepreneurship Education’ is not common. This in contrast to other countries. Learning by doing and reflection in SEE focuses on real-life, authentic challenges. The students commit themselves to these challenges and try to contribute to a better world.

Transfer to educational practice and further research
This exploratory research confirms the design principles for SEE found in previous literature study. The exploratory and literature research together provide a basis for a following design research at a primary school. And that research, in turn, will lead to design principles for SEE for other primary schools.

Full text

‘Children as changemakers’
by SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
How do Dutch schools in primary education
integrate (elements of) SEE in their education?
Research topics:
1. Mission and vision
2. Curriculum
3. Learning environment
4. Critical factors
•Civic education becomes more and more important in primary education in the Netherlands
•Challenge: how to empower children to create a better world?
•Social Entrepreneurship Education as an approach: children learn how to become (social)
changemakers and to contribute to sustainable development
•Semi-structured group interviews with teachers at
four schools (n=17)
•Verbatim transcriptions
•Analysis by using an increasingly precise category
system
•Data reduction, data representation, conclusion
and verification
•Description of schoolportraits and formulating
general characteristics
•The importance of sustainable development education and the development of an entrepreneurial
mindset is recognizable in a schools’ mission and vision, the curriculum and the learning environment
•It is essential that children are able to engage themselves to real-life, authentic challenges and realize a
contribution to an improvement for the better
•In the schoolportraits the components of Social Entrepreneurship Education can be identified and
provide deepening/enrichment of previously described design principles
a. Focus on ‘engagement with the other and the world’ and ‘engagement with yourself’
b. Connection with SDGs, core objectives of humanities, art education, social and emotional development
c. Real-life authentic questions; learning by doing, research and reflection; meeting and collaboration;
children process owners; teacher facilitator and coach; covering all aspects of entrepreneurship
d+ Whole school approach; collaboration; shared mission; adequate facilities; open mind; clear design
principles
d- Team too large; lack of guts; mono-cultural schoolpopulation
Sustainable Development Goals
(https://www.un.org)
Components of Social Entrepreneurship Education (Van der Wal-Maris, 2019)
Marnix Academie, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Marijke van Voorthuijsen (m.vanvoorthuijsen@hsmarnix.nl), Elizabeth
Rigg, Stella van der Wal-Maris. Presentation EAPRIL 2022, Nijmegen.
CONCLUSIONS
METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH QUESTION
RESULTS
REFERENTIES