Conclusions: Vocational Education and Entrepreneurship Education Face Their Common Zone of Proximal Development

Abstract

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a Vygotskian concept, and describes the difference between what the child is able to perform on their own and what he or she might be able to execute with the help of an educator or more expert peer (Vygotsky, 1978). In Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) this concept has been enlarged to encompass multiple interacting activity systems (Engestrom & Sannino, 2010): in a Change Laboratory, during a cycle of expansive learning, the participants envision the ZPD of their activity system(s). In a similar vein, Engestrom (2004b) utilizes this concept to envision the future of research for expertise. This chapter will similarly envision the ZPD of the two complementary forms of education that were the object of this study: enterprise education and vocational education. The citation above from UNESCO underlines the advantages of these types of education for both individuals and society. It also emphasizes the importance of, and the renewed interest in, these types of education internationally.