Empowering K–12 pupils: Fostering problem-solving skills through sustainable entrepreneurship and computational thinking

Preparing today’s students for a digital world with diverse social challenges requires innovative teaching–learning scenarios. To empower students to develop solutions in an increasingly complex world, it’s essential to strengthen both their subject-specific knowledge as well as their problem-solving skills. In the area of domain knowledge, the interplay between entrepreneurship, sustainability, and digital technologies has emerged as a critical factor in addressing global challenges through innovation. Although the individual competency areas are well documented in the relevant research, teaching–learning scenarios that combine sustainability, entrepreneurship, and information technology (IT) education are underrepresented. This article explores the integration of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship education within IT education through a project-based teaching approach. To visualize and facilitate the learning process, a problem-solving canvas is integrated. Hence, it presents a best-practice example of how entrepreneurial IT education can be implemented in schools using hackathons. Additionally, the article provides recommendations for educational policy based on these insights.