Exploring the entrepreneurial levels of efl teachers whowork for public schools affiliated by the Ministry of National Education

In the increasingly competitive environment of the 21st century, it is possible for societies to develop further by raising generations with an entrepreneurial spirit. Social transformations cannot be limited to individuals, but can be achieved by spreading the entrepreneurial and innovative approaches to the masses. The fastest and most efficient way to educate the masses is through educational institutions and especially educators. Entrepreneurship is a field of research that has been going on for centuries and on which numerous academic studies have been conducted. However, one of the most important sub-branches of entrepreneurship that differs from the economic dimension is social entrepreneurship, which has aroused curiosity in academic circles for the last fifteen years. Teachers, whom societies rely on in increasing social entrepreneurship, are among the most important factors that support the increase in the welfare of societies by creating added value such as social contribution, being hardworking and productive. This study aims to examine (a) the entrepreneurship levels of English teachers working in public schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education, (b) the factors that support and hinder the entrepreneurial spirit of teachers, and (c) the influence of bureaucracy adopted in public schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education on teachers' entrepreneurial tendencies. The study adopts a mixed method research design. Quantitative data on the entrepreneurship levels of English Teachers were measured with a questionnaire consisting of 27 questions, 26 of which are 5-point Likert-type and 1 of them are multiple-choice. Quantitative data were collected through a semi-structured interview form given to a total of 7 English teachers working in public schools in different provinces of Turkey. According to the quantitative data obtained as a result of the research, four sub-dimensions emerged. These were social entrepreneurship, bureaucracy perception, professional renewal and innovativeness. Data analysis revealed that the entrepreneurship levels of English teachers working in public schools displayed significant differences in terms of the level of education given and whether or not receiving entrepreneurship education in the bureaucracy perception sub-dimension; age in the professional renewal sub-dimension, and gender, level of education, professional experience and the latest education level achieved in the innovativeness sub-dimension. On the other hand, no significant difference was found among the participants in terms of social entrepreneurship. According to the data obtained as a result of semi-structured interviews, when innovative practices are appreciated and supported by the administration, entrepreneurial tendencies of teachers increase; However, it has been determined that the pressure created by the central exams and the negative reactions from the stakeholders are among the factors that prevent teachers from adopting entrepreneurial practices. The findings of the study also revealed the need to produce clearer policies on pedagogical entrepreneurship and to put more emphasis on the importance of entrepreneurship in teacher training schools as well as in-service teacher training seminars.