Critical Review on Entrepreneurial Education in Swedish Education System

This critical review evaluates the idea of “entrepreneurial education” within the given context of the Swedish education system. It includes literature review, methodology, findings, and analysis of three articles. The author argues that there is a need to develop local mechanisms for effective implementation of the strategy. The article focuses on the long neglected issue of an educational philosophy grounded in the entrepreneurial approach. The research findings are presented in a balanced view that clearly supports the argument of the author. Hence it provides a holistic understanding of both the perspectives.

Running head: CRITICAL REVIEW
Critical Review
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Table of Contents
Literature review..............................................................................................................................2
Methodology....................................................................................................................................3
Findings of the study.......................................................................................................................3
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................3
Literature review..............................................................................................................................4
Methodology....................................................................................................................................5
Findings of the study.......................................................................................................................5
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................6
Literature review..........................................................................................................................6
Methodology....................................................................................................................................7
Findings of the study.......................................................................................................................7
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................8
Summary..........................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
This aim of the essay is to critically evaluate the idea of “entrepreneurial education”
within the given context of the Swedish education system. The following articles will be
providing the different aspects of entrepreneurial approach by analyzing its position in the
Swedish education system. The rationale behind taking up these articles is their nature of dealing
with the issue. These three articles are different in their perspective in primary ways. The central
argument of the first article is interesting from the point of view that it provides insight on the
issue of challenges faced by the institutions in implementing the approach. The argument of the
second article deals with the issue of arising rift between the two educational frameworks and
their possible management, therefore this article has been selected for this specific study. The
third article argued the issue of entrepreneurial approach in the non-economic sphere and their
effective chances of success, hence this is chosen for conducting the research. These articles help
to provide a diverse understanding of the same issue and it is important to consider it from the
multi-diversity approach.

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Dahlstedt, M. and Hertzberg, F., 2012. Schooling entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurship,
governmentality and education policy in Sweden at the turn of the millennium.
Literature review
It has been a common trend in the Swedish school to implement the entrepreneurial
approaches into practice: however it is to be noted that there are certain challenges faced by the
government institutions in implementing the approaches. The research question as stated by the
author tries to analyze the changing role of education and the challenges faced by the institutions
in implementing the new approach. In the first article, the author points out the issue of
entrepreneurship, role of the government and the review of the challenges faced by the company
within the context of Sweden (Dahlstedt et al. 2012,pp 242-244). The research question as taken
up by the author deals with the changing role of education and acceptance entrepreneurship as a
method of creative, flexible and independent study that contributes to the development of the
same. The rationale for the research is summarized as the changing role of entrepreneurship
within the context of school and in the government institution since this is one of the primary
segments that require a thorough research. The literature highlights the evolutionary changes of
the Swedish education system and it helps to look into the scenario from the time frame of
Second World War (Dahlstedt et al. 2012,pp 242-244). It is to be noted that the rationale for
conducting the research has been clearly developed and the gap of the literature has been
addressed to enquire further into the issue of entrepreneur agenda on the Swedish education
model. The literature provides a systematic understanding of the Swedish education system
however it fails to provide a balanced understanding of the drawbacks of the educational system
and the need of develop an entrepreneurial agenda within their educational system (Dahlstedt et
al. 2012, pp 242-244). However it is imperative note that the literature use in the body of the
research since it is helpful in giving a detailed understanding of the changing nature the Swedish
educational evolution.

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Methodology
The author has chosen the secondary sources for conducting this particular research. It is
important to note that the research conducted is the evolving nature of the educational system is
solely based on the secondary resource. The rationale for choosing the secondary sources for
research can be multiple. However what is important to note here is that the research fails to
provide a valid research since it does not use method s consistent with quantitative or qualitative
research method. The primary source of information has been the journal article and the books
on the respective field. Even though these article have been used in clearly defining the concept a
deals provided by the article are valid given the context or theme. However it is imperative to
note that method of data collection are poor and do not constitute a strong foundation. The
research methodology leaves scope for further scope as it does not deal the centralities of a
critical research. Hence it is to be concluded that there is a need to develop a robust structure for
inclusion of quantitative and qualitative research tools having a holistic understanding and
overview of the issue.
Findings of the study
It is important to note that the study conducted discusses that there is a need to develop
local mechanism for effective implementation of the strategy (Dahlstedt et al. 2012, pp 258-260).
It is significant to realize the fact that the study is focused on the development of local networks
like giving enough chance to the local companies to have collaboration with the schools for
building up enough infrastructures required for education based on entrepreneurial approach
(Dahlstedt et al. 2012, pp 258-260). It is therefore crucial to develop partnership and cooperation
with trade and industry in order to bring this approach within the local curricula.
Analysis
This article has proposed to look into the validity of including the entrepreneurial
approach within the Swedish education policy through the lens of Foucault’s theory and it has
reached the conclusion that there is a tussle arising between the traditional pedagogy and the
growing idea of entrepreneurial approach to education. However what is striking is that the
challenges faced by the traditional pedagogy have not been discussed in detail. This leaves scope

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for further research on the issues faced by the existing educational doctrines with the new
approach of entrepreneurship in education. However it is to be noted that the strength of the
article is the clear representation of idea and systematic analysis. The language is clear and lucid
which makes it easier to comprehend the idea. Another strength of the article is the theoretical
framework that author have used to substantiate the argument however it is not to rule out that
there are certain major weaknesses of the article like, a structured methodology for the research.
Hence it might have been helpful to develop a detailed quantitative and qualitative methodology
based on interview and questionnaire to have better insight into the issues of entrepreneurship in
education. It would also have been useful if the author would have clearly analyzed the rationale
behind proposing the inclusion of this new approach to the Swedish education policy. Lastly it
would have been useful to have better insight into the systematic representation of thought as it
become difficult at times to connect to the previous ides. It would also be useful if the author
could have provided recommendations for the effective implementation of the approach,
however it is not to say that the article to deliver the idea, instead it does even though there is
much scope to develop on this regard.
Conclusion
The author have provided enough evidence to support the argument claimed at the body
of the research: however it is imperative to note that there is need to develop further research by
including the quantitative and qualitative research method to have holistic understanding of the
issue.
Recommendations
The author should take into consideration the other aspects of the research like the
positive impact of entrepreneurship in the business environment and it can be substantiated by
conducting primary research based on interview and focus groups data. It s imperative to note
that the way the research is conducted in way which leaves further scope for research and
analysis

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Lackéus, M., Lundqvist, M. and Middleton, K.W., 2016. Bridging the traditional-
progressive education rift through entrepreneurship. International Journal of
Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
Literature review
The author argues that there is a rift between the traditional educational doctrines and the
new approach of entrepreneurship. The rationale for the choosing this research question is to find
the gap between these two contradictory approaches. This article has been used by the author to
bridge the gap between the traditional educational rifts with the entrepreneurship (Lackéus et al.
2016,pp 778-790). The rationale of conducting this research as put forwards by the author is the
lack of understating of the positive contribution that entrepreneurship can making education. The
problem statement of the research has been clearly identified in the article. This article clearly
defines the rational, evidence and research structure it would follow. Hence it can be suggested
that the article have clearly stated the research rationale and research design at the beginning of
the paper. It has also been highlighted that the rift between the two approaches requires a
detailed understand of the subject and this has been done by referring to the historical study of
Greek philosophy (Lackéus et al. 2016,pp 778-790)). The background of the study has been
clearly defined by dividing the concept into discrete parts and each of the parts have been dealt
with detailed study of the same. One part of the literature review of the article deals with the idea
of traditional education by refereeing to the origin of the study while the other parts of the
research deals with the question of importance of entrepreneurial approach in education to create
a balanced understanding of both the ideas. The literature helps to provide a detailed and a
balanced view of the concepts since it deals with each of the section with detail and makes a
comparison between the ideas to have a holistic understanding of the issues.
Methodology
The author conducted the research by taking into consideration the secondary resources.
The article has discussed the traditional and the new approach by applying the entrepreneurial
tools into practice. The ideas presented in the body of the research are conducted through the
conceptual analysis based question. Further research has been developed by referring to multiple

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secondary resources. The broad conclusions have been drawn from the pattern-based
generalizations of the research and it is to be argued that the article made selective use of graphs
for effectively comparing each of the concepts. This helps to provide a holistic understanding of
the issue through a systematic analysis. However the research paper could be better analyzed
through the usage of primary quantitative and qualitative research tools.
Findings of the study
The article has proposed that the basic tenets of the entrepreneurial approach in creating
value for others and there is a possible rift which the traditional educational doctrines cannot
bridge without including the new approach (Lackéus et al. 2016, pp793-794). Hence it is argued
by the author that the rift between the two approaches can find its possible answer in application
of the entrepreneurial approach to the educational philosophy. Both of this approach together
would form what is known as the “learning through creating value for others” approach (Lackéus
et al. 2016, pp793-794). It is also found by the author that the dualism persistent within the
philosophy of education is actually a challenge faced by the teachers at the educational sphere and
it should be bridged by the applying three entrepreneurial tools (Lackéus et al. 2016, pp793-794).
These finding focuses on the issues of the traditional educations like the lack of resources, student
disengagement and other issues would find a solution in this new approach of entrepreneurial
approach.
Analysis
The article focuses on the long neglected issue of an educational philosophy grounded in
the entrepreneurial approach and this is one of the strengths of the article since it deals with this
question. The theme of the article is based on the analysis of the existing educational
philosophies and the impact of the new philosophy in terms of the changes it can bring by
bridging the existing gap. Hence it could be argued that one of the strengths of the article is the
research question posed by the author and the way of analysis of the same by the method of
compare and contrast. These results are consistent with the aims of the research since it strikes a
balance between to the approaches to find out the best method of educational outcome. The
findings are clearly presented in the body of the article in terms as it describes the positive

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impact of the new philosophy. The discussion is consistently related to the key findings of the
research and it is presented in a lucid manner. The arguments have been clearly spelt out and
substantiated with relevant data and graphs. However it is not to say that the paper do not face
any possible challenges rather it is important to consider the fact that the sample seems to be
fairly small in terms of the research methodology. This article has not successfully addressed the
issues by applying multiple entrepreneurial tools and it has largely limited to three of them.
Hence it should be argued that it might have been helpful if more details would have been
provided about the applicability of other entrepreneurial tools in the existing education
philosophy. Moreover, it would have been helpful if the article would have substantiated the data
by conducting few primary researches to further substantiate the argument. Therefore, it is to be
argued that the author have clearly defined the issue of inclusion of an entrepreneurial approach
to the Swedish educational policy leaving a few scope for further research and development.
Conclusion
It can be concluded from the above discussion that entrepreneurial approach in the basic
education would help to develop a mindset for creating value for other through education. The
research findings are presented in a balanced view that clearly supports the argument of the
author. Hence it provides a holistic understanding of both the perspectives.
Recommendations
It is important to note that the author do not outline any substantive recommendations for
the question raise and it leaves further scope for research since no concrete examples could be
drawn from the above discussion. There is a need to develop concrete recommendations for the
effective implementation of the approach to the traditional education.
Leffler, E., 2009. The many faces of entrepreneurship: A discursive battle for the school
arena. European Educational Research Journal
Literature review
Economic sphere is the sole area of activity for the entrepreneurship. It has not been
explored beyond the area of economy. Hence this article tries to analyze the issue from the non-

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economic perspective to have holistic understanding of the issues. The aim of the article is to
problematise the entrepreneurial approach by analyzing the concept of entrepreneur and their
application within the school curricula of Sweden (Leffler 2009,pp 106-111). The research
question asked by the author centres around the issue of entrepreneurial approach and its
implication beyond the economic sphere of activity. It is further argued by the author that the
economic authorities of the country have expressed concern over broadening the scope of
entrepreneurial approach beyond the fixed territory of economy. The author raises the question
of applicability of the approach beyond the economic sphere and dwells in the much ignored
territory for conducting the research (Leffler 2009,pp 106-111). The literature used by the author
have been focused on the systematic analysis of the concept of entrepreneurial approach from
three different perspectives that of the student, the teacher and the schools. The literature in the
body of the research is has analyzed the issue by referring to the theoretical framework of
Foucault and other philosophers. It is further argued by the author that the concept of
entrepreneurial education will broaden the base for people by expanding the reach beyond the
economic phenomenon (Leffler 2009,pp 106-111). The research question deals with the
economic understanding of the concept as there are enough researches done on the societal
aspect of the concept. Hence the research question has been clearly defined by the author in the
body of the research.
Methodology
It is interesting to note the author have depended solely on the use of secondary
resources for the research and there are multiple sources used in the body of the paper to
substantiate the argument. However the author has not taken into consideration the quantitative
or qualitative research method by identifying selected group for interview. Such interviews and
focus groups would have been important for development of a holistic understanding of the
concept. However, the authors have made highlighted the issue by taking into consideration
various work experience schemes programs that are operational at school to find out the
experience of people associated with the entrepreneurial approach in education. Moreover the
research argument of the rift between the economic and educational spheres have been clearly
spelt out by referring to the government data and documents which constitutes one of the valid

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source of information. However it is not to deny that there are scope left of future research by
including some of the primary data based on interviews and social group interactions.
Findings of the study
The article tries to find out the answers of applicability of entrepreneurial approach
beyond the economic sphere; however the research findings have not been stated clearly (Leffler
2009,pp112-113). It is concluded by the authors that there are multiple contradictions and these
limits the identification of the issues. Research findings have largely been confusing and it is
argued by the author as uncertain and confusing. The research question have largely addressed
the issues of rift between the two sphere and leaves gap in understanding the positive
implications this new approach will have to the existing body of knowledge.
Analysis
The article deals with some of the questions of entrepreneurial approach in the
educational policy of Sweden and the possible rift between the economic and the non-economic
spheres. However it is important to note that the there are certain inherent strength and weakness
of every research. Similarly, this article has clearly presented the idea that entrepreneurial
approach has a wider implication beyond the area of economic phenomenon and persistently
develops the concept in the later part of the research. The argument put forward by the author is
clear and lucid and it is substantiated with enough data from the governmental schemes at
school. The background study and the literature developed in the body of the research establish
enough evidence that there are positive implications if the concept is applied beyond the
economic spheres. However this is not to deny that the article faces the challenges of inconsistent
research finding and lack of primary research. It would have been helpful if the author would
have addressed the question by including primary researches. The sample seems to falls short in
terms of the arguments development towards a concise and clear finding. The article fails to
sums up the positive impact of the new approach in societal aspect and it is to be argued that
there is scope for further research in the field. Therefore it is to be argued that the research fails
to address the argument I terms of proving concrete results.
Conclusion

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The research finding has failed to substantiate the argument presented in the article and it
the article fails to explore the applicability of the concept in the non-economic sphere. However
it raises one of the crucial questions of applicability of the idea in the area beyond the economics.
This provides insights into the critical part of the concept in diverse perspective.
Recommendations
The article fails to identify the areas of future research and does not clearly specify the
areas of further research. Since this article does not recommend ways of improvement of the
current research, it is suggested to develop a methodology for the research supporting the
quantitative and qualitative research.

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Summary
The Swedish education system has adopted a dynamic method of entrepreneurial
teaching and initiatives in 2009; the Swedish Agency for Education is the responsible body for
the implementation of the strategy (Schooleducationgateway.eu, 2019). This policy has been
included in all levels of education system and in most of the stages it is taught as a separate
subject. There have been previous researches which has reviewed the policy and its
implementation. However not much of research have been conducted on the field of different
nuances of it. According to other researches, this approach of an entrepreneurial educational
system has failed to provide a holistic outcome and the repercussion has been largely negative in
this field (Schooleducationgateway.eu, 2019). However there is not much research on the issues
of issues faced by the teacher at the educational institutions or impact of the approach in bridging
the gap between the traditional way of learning and teaching. Hence it is imperative to note that
the purpose of the study is to have a wider perspective of the issues of entrepreneurship in the
Swedish educational system.
However the aim of the paper was to analyze the issues by critically reviewing three
different perception of the entrepreneurial approach to the Swedish education policy. It can be
summarized from the above discussion that the new approach will have certain positive and
negative implications when it is applied to the existing educational policy of Sweden.
Entrepreneurship is a complex concept which requires effective consideration of multiple factors
for a holistic understanding. While one of the articles provided the basic understanding of
entrepreneurial approach in the context of schools and other institutions, the second article
highlights the issue of dualism between the two contradictory approaches and the last article
deals with the broadening of the entrepreneurial approach beyond the economic spheres to
analyze its positive implication within the Swedish educational system. Therefore it could be
concluded by saying that entrepreneurship is a multifaceted approach and it is important to
understand from a diverse perspective to find out the nuances of it. It is only after the effective
consideration of the concept; an effective plan could be implemented for making positive
changes within the Swedish education system.

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References
Dahlstedt, M. and Hertzberg, F., 2012. Schooling entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurship,
governmentality and education policy in Sweden at the turn of the millennium. Journal of
Pedagogy/Pedagogický casopis, 3(2), pp.242-262.
Lackéus, M., Lundqvist, M. and Middleton, K.W., 2016. Bridging the traditional-progressive
education rift through entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior &
Research, 22(6), pp.777-803.
Leffler, E., 2009. The many faces of entrepreneurship: A discursive battle for the school
arena. European Educational Research Journal, 8(1), pp.104-116.
Schooleducationgateway.eu. 2019. Entrepreneurship education in Sweden. [online] Available at:
https://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/downloads/entrepreneurship/Sweden_151022.pdf
[Accessed 27 Feb. 2019].