Chapter 7: Incorporating entrepreneurial learning into Life Orientation’s well-being framework

Well-being is frequently a key goal in education, underpinned by the vision of creating a better world for all. Life Orientation (LO), a compulsory subject in the South African high school curriculum from Grades 8 to 12, shares this goal. Entrepreneurial learning (EL) is also increasingly incorporated into international school education to prepare learners to thrive based on the skills developed and the value created thereby. Yet, in South Africa, where many learners only survive rather than thrive, limited EL is evident. The investigation reported in this chapter, therefore, specifically focused on the potential of incorporating EL into the LO high school curriculum to prepare South African learners to thrive in their personal lives and future careers. An exploratory curriculum analysis, guided by the eight dimensions of well-being proposed by Birchett in 2023, was used to investigate this potential. Unpacking the potential ways in which EL can be integrated with well-being dimensions in LO would provide insight into how the curriculum can be strengthened to prepare learners for a life lived in Ubuntu – that is, a thriving and meaningful existence for individuals and society, creating a better life for all. Self-directed learning (SDL) is proposed as a bridge in constructing the type of EL envisioned to support South African youth in thriving in a challenging and rapidly changing world, which should continue to be explored in future research.