The development of entrepreneurship in interdisciplinary study environment: First achievements, hindrances and perspectives

The development of students’ entrepreneurship has become one of the contemporary educational topicalities due to its crucial significance as a success factor needed for personal fulfilment, active citizenship, social cohesion, employability and competitiveness. However very often formal education lacks the experience of teaching and learning for real life and therefore students mainly perceive studies as means for passing exams and getting certificates, considering schooling as something remote from the needs of real life. This study aimed to develop a pedagogical strategy to promote entrepreneurial culture among students at school level. A qualitative approach was employed to explore how entrepreneurial culture can be nurtured and develop using an interdisciplinary approach. This holistic interdisciplinary teaching and learning entrepreneurship promoting methodology (HIEPTLM) was conducted with 116 teachers and 160 students from five secondary schools in Latvia. Both teachers and students’ reflections were registered in electronic learning diaries which were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. The results of the study give evidence of the appropriateness of the holistic interdisciplinary entrepreneurship promoting teaching and learning methodology for developing teachers and students’ entrepreneurship in study process and electronic diaries as research and learning tools. Results of the study recommend the use of an interdisciplinary study environment to facilitate the development of students’ entrepreneurial culture.