Teachers’ Perceptions of Entrepreneurial Persuasive Communication Skills Among Primary School Learners: A Needs Analysis

Entrepreneurship is needed for sustainable economic development. However, entrepreneurship education seems to be focused on higher education, and there is a lack of studies at the primary school level. There seems to be a positive relationship between communication skills and entrepreneurial intention, so teaching persuasive communication entrepreneurship at primary schools should be considered. However, the components of entrepreneurship in the current primary school curriculum are unknown. Hence, this study investigates the need for entrepreneurial persuasive communication (EPC) elements in primary schools in Malaysia from the practitioners’ perspective. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with five experienced teachers in English and Design and Technology and content analysis of curriculum documents issued by the Ministry of Education. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of this study reveal the components of EPC in the current curriculum, elements of EPC that need to be addressed and teachers’ daily practice in implementing the current curriculum. The study also suggested a more systematic program or module for learning the EPC skills to address learners’ lack of exposure to these skills.