Many European countries have launched policy strategies for entrepreneurship education in the past decade. The result is a significant increase of entrepreneurship education in schools and higher education institutions in Europe. Entrepreneurship education is supposed to promote entrepreneurial abilities and improve academic performance. This article evaluates whether entrepreneurship projects in secondary school improves academic performance. The indicator used for academic performance is the Grade Point Average. The indicator used for entrepreneurship education is the Company Programme, a programme taught in 37 European countries. The data derive from surveys conducted in Norwegian schools in 2012. A total of 1880 pupils participated in a survey in lower secondary schools, and 1160 pupils participated in a survey in upper secondary schools. The results from econometric analyses show a higher Grade Point Average among participants in the Company Programme compared to non-participants in lower secondary schools, but no difference between the two groups in upper secondary schools. The divergent results are probably a reflection of the various ways the Company Programme is taught at different education levels. It indicates that, with less focus on the enterprise part, entrepreneurship projects can be a good teaching method for improvement of academic performance.
References
1.
BakkenA. (2009) Kan skolen kompensere for elevenes sosiale bakgrunn? [Can the school compensate for pupils' social background?], in Education 2009. Oslo: Statistics Norway.
CheungC.K. & AuE. (2010) Running a Small Business by Students in a Secondary School: Its impact on learning about entrepreneurship, Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 13(1), 45–63.
4.
CliffordsonC. (2008) Differential Prediction of Study Success Across Academic Programs in the Swedish Context: The validity of grades and tests as selection instruments for higher education, Educational Assessment, 13(1), 56–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10627190801968240
5.
ColemanJ.CampbellE.Q.HobsonC.J. (1966) Equality of Educational Opportunity. Washington: U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare.
6.
EACEA Eurydice (2012) Entrepreneurship, Education at School in Europe. Brussels: EACEA Eurydice.
7.
European Commission (2005) Mini-companies in Secondary Education. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
8.
European Commission (2012) Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
9.
European Commission (2013) Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan: Reigniting the entrepreneurial spirit in Europe. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
GoldsteinH. (2003) Multilevel Statistical Models, 3rd edn.London: Edward Arnold.
12.
GormanG. & HanlonD. (1997) Some Research Perspectives on Entrepreneurship Education, Enterprise Education and Education for Small Business Management: A ten-year literature review, International Small Business Journal, 15(3), 56–78.
13.
PetermanN.E. & KennedyJ. (2003), Enterprise education: Influencing students' perceptions of entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 28(2), 129–144.
14.
HattieJ.A.C. (2009) Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge.
15.
HolmgrenC. & FromJ. (2005) Taylorism of the Mind: Entrepreneurship education from a perspective of educational research, European Educational Research Journal, 4(4), 382–390. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2005.4.4.4
16.
HvistendahlR. & RoeA. (2004) The Literacy Achievement of Norwegian Minority Students, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 48(3), 307–324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00313830410001695754
17.
JohansenV. (2010) Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Activity, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 9(1), 74–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2010.029507
JohansenV. & ClausenT.H. (2011) Promoting the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow: Entrepreneurship education and start-up intentions among schoolchildren, International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Small Business, (13)2, 208–129.
20.
JohansenV. & MathisenT. (2012) Entreprenørskap i utdanningen og oppnåelse av lœringsmål [Entrepreneurship education and achievement of goals]. Lillehammer: Eastern Norway Research Institute.
21.
JohansenV. & SchankeT. (2012) Entrepreneurship Education in Secondary Education and Training, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 57(4), 357–368. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2012.656280
22.
JohansenV.SchankeT. & SkålholtA. (2008) Entreprenørskapsopplœring og elevenes lœringsutbytte [Entrepreneurship education and learning outcome]. Lillehammer: Eastern Norway Research Institute.
23.
Junior Achievement—Young Enterprise Europe (JA—YE Europe) (2012) Annual Report for Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise Europe. Brussels: JA-YE Europe.
LekholmKlapp A. & CliffordsonC. (2009) Effects of Student Characteristics on Grades in Compulsory School, Educational Research and Evaluation, 15(1), 1–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13803610802470425
26.
LautenschlägerA. & HaaseH. (2011) The Myth of Entrepreneurship Education: Seven arguments against teaching business creation at universities, Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 14, 147–161
27.
LefflerE. (2009) The Many Faces of Entrepreneurship: A discursive battle for the school arena, European Educational Research Journal, 8(1), 104–116. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2009.8.1.104
28.
MarkussenE.FrøsethM.W. & SandbergN. (2011) Reaching for the Unreachable: Identifying factors predicting early school leaving and non-completion in Norwegian upper secondary education, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 55(3), 225–253. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2011.576876
29.
MartinezA.C.LevieJ.KelleyD.J.SæmundssonR.J. & SchøttT. (2010) A Global Perspective on Entrepreneurship Education and Training. Madrid: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
30.
Ministry of Education and Research, Ministry of Local Government and Ministry of Trade and Industry (2009) Entrepreneurship in Education and Training — from compulsory school to higher education 2009–2014. Oslo: Ministry of Education and Research.
31.
NilsonK. (2010) Entreprenörskap i skolan — en kartläggning [Mapping of entrepreneurship education]. Stockholm: Skolverket.
32.
NIRAS Consultants, FORA & ECON Pöyry (2008) Survey of Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education in Europe. Brussels: European Commission.
33.
Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (2011) National Curriculum for Knowledge Promotion in Primary and Secondary Education and Training. Oslo: Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training.
34.
OosterbeekH.van PraagM. & IjsselsteinA. (2010) The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on Entrepreneurship Skills and Motivation, European Economic Review, 54(3), 442–454. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2009.08.002
PetermanN.E. & KennedyJ. (2003), Enterprise Education: Influencing students' perceptions of entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 28(2), 129–144. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1540-6520.2003.00035.x
37.
RieseH. (2011) Enacting Entrepreneurship Education: The interaction of personal and professional interests in mini-enterprises, Cambridge Journal of Education, (41)4, 445–460. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2011.624998
38.
RizzaC. & VarumC.A. (2011) Directions in Entrepreneurship Education in Europe. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
39.
RobbinsS.B.LauverK.LeH. (2004) Do Psychosocial and Study Skill Factors Predict College Outcomes? A Meta-analysis, Psychological Bulletin, 130(2), 261–288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.2.261
40.
Seikkula-LeinoJ.RuskovaaraE.HannulaH. & SaarivirtaT. (2012) Facing the Changing Demands of Europe: Integrating entrepreneurship education in Finnish teacher training curricula, European Educational Research Journal, 11(3), 382–399. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2012.11.3.382
41.
SnijdersT.A.B. & BoskerR.J. (1999) Multilevel Analysis: An introduction to basic and advanced multilevel modeling. London: Sage.
42.
SolomonG. (2007) An examination of entrepreneurship education in the United States, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 14(2), 168–182.
TeddlieC. & ReynoldsD. (Eds) (2000) The International Handbook of School Effectiveness Research. London: Falmer Press.
45.
VolkmanD.WilsonK.E.MariottiS. (2009) Educating the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs: Unlocking entrepreneurial capabilities to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
