Developing Entrepreneurial Characteristics in Youth: The Effects of Education and Enterprise Experience By

Identifying and nurturing entrepreneurial potential among youth can have long-term implications for American economic development. Prior research has not addressed whether education and enterprise experience will affect the development of entrepreneurial talent prior to the collegiate level. This research concludes that entrepreneurship education and enterprise experience can affect characteristics commonly associated with entrepreneurs among intermediate level students. Specifically, student with training in entrepreneurship have greater overall entrepreneurial characteristics, higher achievement motivation, more personal control, and greater self-esteem than a comparable cohort. Students who participate in enterprise activities have greater overall entrepreneurial characteristics, more personal control, greater self-esteem and more innovation than a comparable cohort. The development of entrepreneurial talent is important to sustaining a competitive advantage in a global economy that is catalyzed by innovation. The role of quality entrepreneurship education and training in identifying and nurturing this entrepreneurial potential among youth is becoming apparent to students, policy makers, and educators. According to a recent Gallup poll of American high school students (as cited in Kourilsky & Carlson, 1997), 85% reported they knew little about business; 80% of high school students think that more entrepreneurship should be taught while 68% indicated a desire to learn more about entrepreneurship. The recent introduction of the Future Entrepreneurs of America Act by Congress provides further evidence of the need for children and family economic empowerment and self-employment as a viable career option for young people. Research has theorized that the supply of entrepreneurs can be increased by developing a positive perception about the feasibility and desirability of entrepreneurship through educational preparation at an early age (Kourilsky, 1995). When rooted in solid learning theory, entrepreneurial education develops entrepreneurs, by increasing business knowledge and promoting psychological There are several basic streams of literature related to the effects of entrepreneurial education and venture creation on the development of youth. First, there is a well establish body of research on the Secondly, there is learning theory associated with program content and the pedagogy of entrepreneurial development programs (Leitch & Harrison, 1999). Thirdly, there is empirical evidence supporting entrepreneurial education as an intervention tool for impacting adult attitudes toward entrepreneurship related to youth awareness and attitudes about the social and economic desirability of entrepreneurship as a career option (Kourilsky & Walstad, 1998; Walstad & Kourilsky, 1999). Prior research does not address whether entrepreneurial education or enterprise experience affects characteristics in youth 6 attributable to entrepreneurial behavior, however. Consequently, …