Examining Challenges Experienced by Pre-service Teachers in Developing Entrepreneurial Skills in Maseru, Lesotho

Abstract

This study explored the challenges that teachers encounter when developing the entrepreneurial skills demanded in the workplace. The study used 12 teachers who were purposively selected and interviewed using semi-structured questions meant to produce rich and in-depth data on challenges that impede development of entrepreneurial skills in secondary school students. Data were collected and analysed by organizing them in themes related to challenges alleged to impede teachers in developing entrepreneurial skills. The findings revealed that the challenges that teachers experience when developing these skills in students are influenced by several factors. Firstly, poor teacher preparation. Teachers are not given enough time to practise teaching in schools. Secondly, during teaching practice, cooperative teachers do not allow practising teachers to teach in their teaching subjects (especially in higher grades) and their cooperation was generally unfriendly. Thirdly, teachers struggle with pedagogical content knowledge when teaching as they have to comprehend and understand it for the first time in the field. Finally, the use of pen and pencil examinations prevent teachers from preparing students for the world of work, which is increasingly going digital. Consequently, students are not employed because they do not meet the recent demands of the workplace.