Chapter 3: Self-directed teacher empowerment: Integrating entrepreneurial learning into Technology education

This chapter reports on research that was conducted to address the need to incorporate entrepreneurial learning (EL) into the South African school curriculum, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), to tackle youth unemployment. Considering the unemployment crisis, especially among the youth in South Africa, the lack of curriculum inclusion of the skills and experiences that learners need for employment and entrepreneurship is of great concern. Drawing on the decisive success of similar initiatives in countries like Botswana, Kenya and Namibia, where job creation and reduced youth unemployment have been achieved through the integration of EL into Design and Technology CAPS curricula, the researchers, therefore, argue for similar integration of EL into Technology education in the South African school curriculum. An initial exploratory study investigated and confirmed the possibilities of strategically integrating EL into the South African Senior Phase (Grades 7–9) Technology CAPS curriculum for this purpose. Yet, implementation of new content into the intended curriculum is a protracted process and will not address the urgent need for expanding entrepreneurship soon. Employing a qualitative phenomenological research design supported by a literature review, the researchers, therefore, explored how Technology teachers, as implementers of the subject curriculum, could utilise self-directed learning (SDL) to attain this overarching purpose. The findings indicate that Technology teachers will need to utilise SDL to expand their knowledge and understanding of EL, enabling them to plan and implement it in the Senior Phase Technology CAPS curriculum. Consequently, guidelines are proposed for Technology teachers’ self-directed entrepreneurial learning (SDEL) to plan and integrate it into the curriculum of this subject. Implementing these guidelines will equip Technology teachers to adopt SDL as a lifelong approach to continuing their learning innovation and developing and expanding entrepreneurship in the South African school CAPS curriculum. In turn, this will enhance the value of the learning already included in the Technology curriculum by equipping learners with entrepreneurial skills, aligning with the National Development Plan 2030’s goals and contributing to the reduction of South African youth unemployment.