The aim of this study is to gain more in-depth knowledge into what Swedish upper secondary school students perceive they learn, and the factors that students perceive affect learning, when they start and run mini-companies within the Junior Achievement Company Program.  The data is comprised of interviews with eleven students each of whom ran a mini-company with other students. Situated learning theory, experiential learning theory and theoretical concepts on reflection in learning were used to analyze and further understand the data. The results reveal that the students talk about, and appear to convey, equal importance upon learning general skills as learning business skills when doing their mini-companies. Students describe using general skills they improved while running their mini-companies in other school activities and non-school activities leading to better performance in these activities. Doing business activities triggers learning and provides students with an opportunity to further develop, and learn multiple aspects, of skills. Students identify many factors, such as time, autonomy, assessment, and deadlines, which they associate with their mini-companies. On the whole, they say these factors have a positive effect on learning both business and general skills, however some factors can also inhibit learning. An analysis of all the factors students identified reveals that they originate, or are influenced by, multiple contexts such as school, the Swedish Junior Achievement organization, and the business environment. Together these factors can be said to create a special school community of practice for their mini-company project. Students point out significant differences between their mini-company project, and other school projects they have previously done, thus providing valuable insight into the importance of project design in relation to learning skills and possible pedagogical implications regarding learning general skills in other school projects. / This thesis strives to gain further knowledge and understanding into what Swedish upper secondary students perceive they learn, and how they learn, when starting and running Junior Achievement mini-companies. The data is comprised of interviews with eleven students each of whom ran a mini-company with other students. Situated learning theory, experiential learning theory and theoretical concepts on reflection on learning were used to analyze and further understand the data. The results reveal that students talk about, and appear to convey, equal importance upon learning general and business skills. General skills students improved when doing mini-companies can benefit other school and non-school activities. Students perceive that learning is not only triggered by the business tasks they do, but is also influenced by a multitude of factors such as time, autonomy, assessment, and deadlines that affect what, and how they learn. Overall, students perceive factors that they associate with the mini-company project have a positive effect on learning skills, however some can also inhibit learning. Students point out many differences between the mini-company project and other school projects providing valuable insight into the importance of project design in relation to learning skills.

A dynamic movement known as wealth creation education attracts many thousands of people seeking education for the vocation of an entrepreneur in the UK. Entrepreneurship education in these collectives includes venturing know-how but also co-constructs existential meaning and purpose for adherents, a role traditionally fulfilled by religion. This emergent sectarian movement is identified as wealth creationism. Led by charismatic entrepreneurs this newly identified research domain represents rich opportunities to study entrepreneurs in naturally arising settings, but has been neglected and understudied. While publicly subsidised educational support for small-business owners has suffered from low uptake, this study provides new knowledge about the kind of education that is engaged with in large numbers, despite being more expensive. This inquiry critically examines the attraction of these educational collectives and evaluates the social processes of eight wealth creation education providers in England. Teaching content and methods were also investigated. This qualitative study takes an interpreted approach through a social constructionism perspective. Using grounded theory methodology the providers were initially researched through participative observation in the educational settings followed by theoretically sampling data with various collection methods. Interdisciplinary theories, including the sociology of religion, accounted for findings, which were analysed at the meso-group level. The movement teaches entrepreneurship know-how and 'mindset' - ways of thinking and being. Insulating directives of behaviour and the construction of stigmatised out-groups maintain social boundaries. Employing similar narrative features and resources as religious sects, the socially constructed co-extensive nomos and cosmos privileges esoteric knowledge and is closely identified with modern Gnosticism. Participants do not acknowledge religious interpretations of their activities, yet three North American authors provide plausible canonical works that legitimise the movement. Wealth Creationists display entrepreneurial chauvinism, which equates employment with bondage, viewing the employed as slaves. Adherents choose educators with perceived entrepreneurial credibility to lead them on a purposeful mission for the type of knowledge that promises emancipation. This study is significant for both researchers of entrepreneurs and the sociology of religion. It offers participating entrepreneurs critical insights into the charismatic settings, which can be both enabling and disabling for venturing. This study has implications for academics engaged in outreach to small-business owners who may learn from the marketing tactics of these groups, although academics may still lack perceived credibility. Insights into business group formation will be of interest to business group researchers. A map of educational provision may interest researchers and educators of small and microbusiness owners, and those from the fields of entrepreneurial learning.

The aim of this study is to gain more in-depth knowledge into what Swedish upper secondary school students perceive they learn, and the factors that students perceive affect learning, when they start and run mini-companies within the Junior Achievement Company Program.  The data is comprised of interviews with eleven students each of whom ran a mini-company with other students. Situated learning theory, experiential learning theory and theoretical concepts on reflection in learning were used to analyze and further understand the data. The results reveal that the students talk about, and appear to convey, equal importance upon learning general skills as learning business skills when doing their mini-companies. Students describe using general skills they improved while running their mini-companies in other school activities and non-school activities leading to better performance in these activities. Doing business activities triggers learning and provides students with an opportunity to further develop, and learn multiple aspects, of skills. Students identify many factors, such as time, autonomy, assessment, and deadlines, which they associate with their mini-companies. On the whole, they say these factors have a positive effect on learning both business and general skills, however some factors can also inhibit learning. An analysis of all the factors students identified reveals that they originate, or are influenced by, multiple contexts such as school, the Swedish Junior Achievement organization, and the business environment. Together these factors can be said to create a special school community of practice for their mini-company project. Students point out significant differences between their mini-company project, and other school projects they have previously done, thus providing valuable insight into the importance of project design in relation to learning skills and possible pedagogical implications regarding learning general skills in other school projects. / This thesis strives to gain further knowledge and understanding into what Swedish upper secondary students perceive they learn, and how they learn, when starting and running Junior Achievement mini-companies. The data is comprised of interviews with eleven students each of whom ran a mini-company with other students. Situated learning theory, experiential learning theory and theoretical concepts on reflection on learning were used to analyze and further understand the data. The results reveal that students talk about, and appear to convey, equal importance upon learning general and business skills. General skills students improved when doing mini-companies can benefit other school and non-school activities. Students perceive that learning is not only triggered by the business tasks they do, but is also influenced by a multitude of factors such as time, autonomy, assessment, and deadlines that affect what, and how they learn. Overall, students perceive factors that they associate with the mini-company project have a positive effect on learning skills, however some can also inhibit learning. Students point out many differences between the mini-company project and other school projects providing valuable insight into the importance of project design in relation to learning skills.

As unemployment is on the rise in developing economies as the result of a decline in the global economy during the past decade, increased attention is paid to entrepreneurship as generator of global economic growth. It has been noted that sustainable economic development cannot be achieved without entrepreneurship, nor can a country increase its gross domestic product and stock of wealth, or improve its citizens’ quality of life, if entrepreneurship is not increased. In order to increase the prospect of entrepreneurship in a country, it is necessary to introduce secondary school learners to entrepreneurship from the early grades, specifically the Grades 8 and 9 General Education and Training phase years. To stimulate learners’ interest in the subject, it is important to provide them with appropriate resources and textbooks, competent teachers and a well-structured curriculum. The knowledge and skills gained from studying entrepreneurship could influence learners’ future career choices. The unemployment rate in South Africa is high and 70 per cent of unemployed South Africans are youths. This percentage grows annually as learners exit the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. There is a dearth of literature on the attitudes of South African Business Studies learners in the FET phase towards entrepreneurship as a future career. Additionally, the role that entrepreneurship education plays in the potential career choices of Business Studies learners in the FET phase has not been explored extensively. Consequently this study attempted to explore the role of entrepreneurship education in influencing Business Studies learners in the FET phase in choosing entrepreneurship as a career. A qualitative case study research method was used to conduct the study. Three schools were identified and data were collected from them. The data-gathering methods employed were face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with Business Studies teachers; and focus group interviews with Business Studies learners in the three schools. The objective of the interviews was to determine the respondents’ views on the role that entrepreneurship education plays in learners’ career choices. The findings of the study indicate that teachers and learners strongly agree that entrepreneurship education plays a significant role in learners’ choice of entrepreneurship as a career. However, the respondents (both teachers and learners) highlighted challenges that could prevent learners from choosing entrepreneurship as a career. / Namate ʼn insinking in die wêreldekonomie die afgelope dekadewerkloosheid in ontwikkelende lande laat toeneem het, geniet entrepreneurskap as stimulus vir globale ekonomiese groei groter aandag. Dit is alombekend dat entrepreneurs noodsaaklik is vir volhoubare ekonomiese ontwikkeling. Sonder entrepreneurs kan geen ekonomie groei nie, kan geen land sy bruto binnelandse produk en rykdomreserwe vermeerdernie, en bly sy burgers se lewenstandaard onveranderd. Ten einde entrepreneurs te kweek, moet hoërskoolleerders reeds in Graad 8 en 9, in die jare van Algemene Onderwys en Opleiding (oftewel die AOO-fase), met entrepreneurskap kennis maak. Om hulle belangstelling te prikkel, isgeskikte hulpmiddels en handboeke, bevoegde onderwysers en ʼn behoorlik gestruktureerde kurrikulum noodsaaklik. Die kennis en vaardighede wat leerders in die studie van entrepreneurskap opdoen, kan hulle loopbaankeuse bepaal. Suid-Afrika het ʼn hoë werkloosheidsyfer en 70 persent van die land se werkloses is jongmense. Hierdie persentasie styg jaar na jaar namate leerders die fase vir Verdere Onderwys en Opleiding (VOO) voltooi. Daar is ʼn skaarste aan literatuur oor die vraagof Besigheidstudiein die VOO-fase Suid- Afrikaanse leerders se ingesteldheid jeens entrepreneurskapas loopbaan beïnvloed. Ook is die rol wat onderrig in entrepreneurskap in leerders se keuse van ʼn loopbaan speel, nog nie volledig ondersoek nie. Gevolglik poog hierdie studie om te bepaal of onderrig in entrepreneurskap Besigheidstudieleerders in die VOO-fase entrepreneurs van beroep laat word. ʼn Kwalitatiewe gevallestudie is as navorsingsmetode gebruik. Data is by drie skole ingesamel. By hierdie skole is deels gestruktureerde onderhoude van aangesig tot aangesig gevoer met Besigheidstudieonderwysers en fokusgroeponderhoude met Besigheidstudieleerders. Die doel van die onderhoude was om vas te stel of leerders van mening is dat onderrig in entrepreneurskap hulle loopbaankeuse bepaal. Volgens die bevindings van hierdie studie is onderwysers en leerders dit volkome eens dat onderrig ʼn bepalende rol in leerders se keuse van entrepreneurskap as loopbaan speel. Desnietemin het sowel onderwysers as leerders op uitdagings gewys wat verhoed dat leerders hierdie loopbaan volg. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)