Education for Sustainable Development Shaped as Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE) – Students’ Perceptions of Required Competences and Learning Environment in Teacher Education

Abstract Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE) is a way of shaping action-oriented Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It combines ESD and Entrepreneurship Education. This study addresses student teachers’ perceptions of required teacher competences for realizing SEE, and their recommendations for enhancing these competences in teacher education. Research questions are: 1. What teacher competences do students consider important for creating an SEE-learning environment in primary education? 2. What are student recommendations for an SEE-learning environment in teacher education? Seven students who were enrolled in an SEE-programme that included carrying out an SEE-project in primary education were interviewed. Generic as well as specific SEE-teacher competences were put forward, such as learner centred education from a collaborative perspective and subject-specific competences. Main recommendations for teacher education included a longitudinal SEE-design and a learning-by-doing approach that incorporates own SE-experiences and SEE-activities in primary schools.