Enterprise education: findings from the project: action research to identify innovative approaches to, and best practice in, enterprise education in Australian schools

In early 2002, the Department of Education, Science and Training initiated a national project in almost 200 schools which undertook action research to develop understandings about innovation and best practice in enterprise education.  The research is underpinned by a wide variety of actual school experiences.  Some schools embraced the project as an opportunity to review, analyse and document their enterprise education experiences, whilst other schools documented ways to introduce enterprise education into their school.  The final report outlines innovative and best practice models of enterprise education.

The Enterprise Education Action Research project found that approaches to Enterprise Education capture the enthusiasm of students and teachers when the learning enables students to be truly enterprising by:

• applying their wider school learning in real life situations
• making decisions about their learning, rather than having decisions made for them
• having opportunities to exercise individual and group initiative, in and outside the traditional boundaries of schooling
• exercising personal and shared responsibility, rather than being dependent on the teacher to solve problems and resolve issues; and
• developing and applying, in authentic situations, knowledge and skills that will underpin successful transition to the world of economic and social participation. 

The report identifies an alignment between enterprise education and current agenda related to the social outcomes of schooling, including student transition and values education.

Report: download PDF    (703.4 KB, 184 pages)

Case studies: download PDF    (473.1 KB, 90 pages)