Social interaction and adolescent's learning in enterprise education: An empirical study

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of social interaction on participants' learning experience in enterprise education. Design/methodology/approach – On a sample of 420 high school students who participated in an enterprise activity in Hong Kong, two questionnaires surveys were conducted to collect data on them at the beginning of and after the enterprise activity. Hypotheses were tested on the impacts of two particular aspects of interactive learning – interaction with facilitator and interaction with team members in the enterprise activity. Findings – The results support the hypotheses that both types of social interaction are positively correlated to students' affection on the enterprise activity and the change in their perceived level of personal competencies before and after the activity. Research limitations/implications – Although two types of interaction are identified in this study, it is possible to extend the scope of interactive learning toward a broader range of social interaction. Also, the impacts of social interaction on other learning outcomes may be considered in further studies. Practical implications – It is necessary to maximise social interaction and develop participants' interpersonal skills for achieving effective enterprise education. More guidance and supervision on social interaction should also be provided in enterprise programmes and activities. Originality/value – The studies help to address the importance of the social interaction aspect in enterprise education, as the majority of the focus has been centred on the uses of experiential learning approaches. Copyright © 2007 Emerald Group Publishing Limited.