Curriculum as a tool for legitimising entrepreneurship education in Finland

This article examines how the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education in Finland, along with the legally mandated local curricula, contributes to legitimizing entrepreneurship education. Using qualitative content analysis, we examined a broad set of national and municipal-level documents. Our key finding is that local curricula are often supported by separate strategic plans for entrepreneurship education, developed in collaboration with external stakeholders, to enhance legitimacy. We argue that while these documents establish formal legitimacy, transferring it into everyday educational practice remains a challenge and may potentially hinder the effective implementation of entrepreneurship education.