Abstract
The main aim of this research paper was to discuss the application of the Attitude Toward Enterprise (ATE) Test1 developed by Kingston University, London on secondary school learners in South Africa. A total of 1 748 usable questionnaires were gathered from grade 10 learners in the Sedibeng District and utilised for statistical analysis. Five factors with eigen-values greater than one describing the entrepreneurial attitudes of young learners were extracted during exploratory factor analysis. Tests for reliability and construct correlation produced satisfactory results to recommend the Enterprise Attitude Questionnaire for further use on young learners in South Africa. A comparison of the mean differences between the constructs for demographic variables produced statistically significant differences in a number of instances, but no visible effects or practical significance to suggest that these differences have any effect in practice. Practical recommendations are offered for further employment of the Enterprise Attitude Questionnaire in entrepreneurship research on young learners.
Highlights
Youth entrepreneurship has an important role to play in South Africa’s efforts to promote a business environment conducive to sustainable growth as well as economic and social prosperity
Proposition 5 (P5): There is a difference between the entrepreneurial attitudes of Grade 10 learners from black African and white ethnic backgrounds with regard to the constructs of Leadership, Achievement, Creativity, Personal control and Intuition
proposition 6 (P6): There is a difference between the entrepreneurial attitudes of Grade 10 learners who had been exposed to entrepreneurship at school and those who had not with regard to the constructs of Leadership, Achievement, Creativity, Personal control and Intuition
Summary
Youth entrepreneurship has an important role to play in South Africa’s efforts to promote a business environment conducive to sustainable growth as well as economic and social prosperity. The age profiles of discouraged work-seekers (people who have given up on finding employment) indicate that the highest concentration is in the younger age groups of 20 to 24 years (905 000: 19.4%). If one considers that 1.6 million people in the age group 20 to 29 have given up on finding employment in South Africa, it stands to reason that not enough is being done to include the younger generation in the economy of this country and to stimulate selfemployment for future sustainability. According to Horn (2006:113), only 5 to 7 per cent of successful Grade 12 candidates in South Africa find employment in the formal sector, emphasising the urgent need for youth entrepreneurship education
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