ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARENESS AND SPIRIT OF TEACHERS IN CROATIA

Abstract

Purpose: Entrepreneurial awareness and spirit are necessary for shaping and using entrepreneurial capacities in every national economy. An encouraging climate for the development of entrepreneurial qualities should be present in all phases of the upbringing and education of young people, where teachers play a key role. The aim of the work is to investigate entrepreneurial awareness and spirit of teachers in Croatia.

Methodology: The research was conducted on a sample of 540 teachers (from primary, secondary, and higher education institutions) in Croatia. The methodological framework is derived from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research, from which entrepreneurial indicators reflecting entrepreneurial awareness and spirit as key drivers of entrepreneurial endeavors and social progress have been extracted.

Results: The research results indicate the potential and confirm the need for the introduction of entrepreneurial education at all levels of education in Croatia.

Conclusion: The main scientific contribution of the work lies in the analysis of contextual and individual GEM indicators of entrepreneurial activity through the prism of teaching staff as the bearers of entrepreneurial education necessary for the development of entrepreneurial spirit in the wider social community, and a conceptual model based on correlations between formal entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial awareness, and the spirit of teachers in Croatia. Research limitations and guidelines for future research are also outlined in the paper.