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This article’s purpose is to examine, on the basis of Bernstein’s theory of classification and framing, how teachers express the concept and content of entrepreneurship in classroom practices in two Swedish lower secondary schools. The study is part of a national school improvement program aiming to better understand, develop and encourage entrepreneurial education and learning. The broad perspective of entrepreneurial education is used in Swedish compulsory school and thereby in this study. In 2011 the curriculum was reversed, which meant, in addition to introducing entrepreneurship, adding focus on learning outcomes. The data sample is based on observation and field notes. The results show differences between the schools and subjects.  The classification is strong in both schools, but the framing differs. Differences in framing are based on characteristics of individual teachers, and to some extent subjects, rather than schools. Together with other circumstances - such as teachers’ views and knowledge, school organization and subject division - the task can be perceived as challenging.

This study is part of a school improvement programme on entrepreneurial education and investigates teachers’ understanding and transmission of entrepreneurial education in two Swedish lower secondary schools, through interviews and observations. Entrepreneurship is a well-established concept within capitalist society, but the interest here is to investigate the transmission of it into pedagogic discourse and communication. Bernstein’s concept of the pedagogic device is used to reason on the process of what happens, and why, when the concept of entrepreneurship is transformed into entrepreneurial education. The results indicate different understandings and connotations on a deeper level, and also show that transmission to colleagues and pupils faces a series of challenges. In practise, the findings show different approaches to entrepreneurial education among individual teachers, but also between schools. This can be explained by gaps in the transmitting process, but also by different school cultures and diverse forms of collegial collaboration, which may affect transmission among colleagues and thus the transmission to pupils. Pupils’ backgrounds may also have an impact on the differences.

Entrepreneurial education is described as gaining abilities that enable the future workforce to develop, be part of and adapt to the changing society. International policy texts, from for instance the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission, agree that entrepreneurial abilities are to be taught and learned in school. Even if this has been on the agenda for decades, it wasn't inscribed in the Swedish curricula until 2011. This research focuses on lower secondary schools and what is called the broad approach or entrepreneurial education. To foster entrepreneurially, different progressive theories of instruction are often suggested. Basil Bernstein has outlined two generic forms of instructional theories: visible and invisible pedagogy; visible pedagogy can be described as "traditional", while invisible pedagogy requires progressive teaching and learning. Based on classroom observations, interviews with teachers and learners, this study elaborates on these concepts in relation to experiences of entrepreneurial education. Different challenges, due to contradictory messages in curricula, learners' backgrounds and experiences, as well as teachers' approaches, are revealed. The study suggests that, even though more or less ambitious attempts are being made, "pure" entrepreneurial education is difficult to enable in a practice where visible pedagogy is the standard educational practice.

Entrepreneurial teaching and learning, thus entrepreneurial education corresponds well with formative assessment/assessment for learning. Both are characterised by an approach to education, teaching, and learning, which puts pupils in the centre of their own learning. Learning aims to "go deep" and generate "real learning" where competencies rather than measurable results are the focus. Both entrepreneurial education, and assessment for learning are promoted by the Swedish National Agency for Education. Entrepreneurial education has been inscribed in the national curriculum for Swedish compulsory schools since 2011. The same curriculum and syllabuses also focus on several knowledge requirements, which form the basis for assessing pupils' performances. Thus, the Swedish national curriculum can be said to send two rather disparate messages. This research focuses on lower secondary school and the broad approach of entrepreneurial education and uses Basil Bernstein’s theory of performance and competence models to elaborate on entrepreneurial teaching and learning in relation to assessment. Observations along with interviews with teachers and pupils in two Swedish lower secondary schools provide the empirical basis for the research. The results reveal some differences between the schools but indicate that both teachers and pupils are relating to the prevailing dominance of performance models and thus encounter difficulties when trying to adopt entrepreneurial education and assessment for learning.