Keywords

Introduction

Today, the world is facing social inefficiencies, and fighting against these inequalities is a major challenge (Marginson, 2018). In response to these inefficiencies, social entrepreneurs are driven by a variety of motives to address major social inefficiencies such as poverty alleviation, illiteracy or hunger, social reparation, inequality, and the preservation of the environment for future generations through innovative ideas. The increase of new streams of social entrepreneurship concepts increasingly attracts the attention of both academics and practitioners (Canestrino et al., 2020) to fill gaps in the necessity of new theoretical and practical contributions (Ahuja et al., 2019). Thus, social entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in the economic and social development of the communities in which they operate (Chien-Chi et al., 2020; Hossain et al., 2021). Given the relevance of social entrepreneurs in providing solutions to social inefficiencies, many private or public institutions are starting to encourage more students to participate in social entrepreneurial initiatives. Moreover, the institution initiated further action embedded in a well-designed entrepreneurship curriculum in improving students’ entrepreneurial competencies and boost their enthusiasm to become entrepreneurs (Bazan et al., 2020; Bazan et al., 2019). This penetration is in line with the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015–2025 (Higher Education) where the first out of 10 shifts had been outlined as the key factors for the Malaysian higher education system as a “Holistic, Entrepreneurial and Balanced Graduates” (Abd Rahman & Zakariyah, 2021).

Thus, there is a need for effective approaches to assess the factors of various impacts related to the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem that could shape the Social Entrepreneurship Intention of students. There is evidence in the literature that Attitude and Subjective Norms, affect Social Entrepreneurship Intention by influencing the antecedents of intention (Ajzen, 1987; Tubbs & Ekeberg, 1991; Krueger & Carsrud, 1993; Linan & Kurczewska, 2017; Zaremohzzabieh et al., 2019). Meanwhile, Social Entrepreneurship Awareness leads the student’s intention to choose social entrepreneurship as the younger generations tend to be e more entrepreneurial and environmentally conscious. The more Social Entrepreneurship Intention rises, the more social entrepreneurs appear in our country, especially the young generation (Dickel & Eckardt, 2021; Rambe & Ndofirepi, 2021). Thus, this indicates that the young generation has immense potential for social entrepreneurship, which if appropriately realized can accelerate the socio-economic developments in the country. Accordingly, Social Entrepreneurship Intentions are key to understanding social entrepreneurship, since the desire for social transformation is described through these. To date, the aim of the younger generation, particularly the millennials in our nation toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention is still not yet fully explored and understood. Furthermore, the previous studies focus more on entrepreneurial intention among students or the younger generation, but there is only a small number of studies conducted on Social Entrepreneurship Intention (Tiwari et al., 2017; Saebi et al., 2019; Zakaria & Bahrein, 2018). Therefore, this study sheds light by bridging the gap by determining the Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Social Entrepreneurship Awareness toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention in the Malaysian context.

Literature Review

The Theory of Planned Behavior

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is a social psychological theory that can be applied to understanding the formation of intentions and behaviors related to social entrepreneurship. TPB posits that behavior is a function of three determinants: Attitudes toward the behavior, Subjective Norms, and perceived behavioral control. Teixeira (2015) and Anderson and Jack (2011) apply TPB to examine the impact of Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and perceived behavioral control on Social Entrepreneurship Intention among university students. The same goes with Chen and Christiansen (2015) but they apply TPB to Social Entrepreneurship Intention among individuals in emerging markets. In addition, TPB has been applied by Kuratko et al. (2010) to examine the impact of Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and perceived behavioral control on corporate entrepreneurship intention among employees in established firms. These demonstrate that TPB can be applied to the study of Social Entrepreneurship Intention by examining the impact of Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and perceived behavioral control on the formation of Social Entrepreneurship Intentions. The findings from these studies suggest that TPB can be a useful framework for understanding the determinants of Social Entrepreneurship Intention and designing interventions to promote social entrepreneurship.

Social Entrepreneurship Intention

Social entrepreneurship intention is the readiness and motivation of an individual to start a new venture with the primary aim of creating a positive social or environmental impact. (Bosma & Wennekers, 2009). In addition, Nguyen and Nguyen (2017) define Social Entrepreneurship Intention as the willingness and motivation of individuals to start a new venture with the primary aim of creating social and/or environmental impact in their study. Furthermore, Social Entrepreneurship Intention can be defined as the intention of individuals to engage in a new venture aimed at creating a positive impact on society and/or the environment (Singh & Kaur, 2017) and an activity that creates value for society, often through innovative and/or socially responsible means (Mair & Marti, 2006).

These definitions highlight the primary aim of Social Entrepreneurship Intention, which is to create a positive social and/or environmental impact through the creation of a new venture. The definitions also emphasize the willingness and motivation of individuals to engage in such activities. In other words, Social Entrepreneurship Intention refers to an individual’s motivation and willingness to start and run a social enterprise to address a social or environmental issue while generating financial returns. The concept of Social Entrepreneurship Intention is influenced by various factors, such as Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and perceived behavioral control, and can be understood through the lens of the theory of planned behavior.

The intention of students to pursue social entrepreneurship has been a growing topic of interest among researchers and educators in recent years. Many students are motivated by a desire to make a positive impact on the world and to address pressing social and environmental challenges, and see social entrepreneurship as a way to achieve these goals. According to Urbano et al. (2015), there are several factors have been identified as contributing to the formation of Social Entrepreneurship Intentions among students, including:

  1. 1.

    Personal values and beliefs: Students who are passionate about making a difference in the world and who possess a strong sense of purpose are more likely to have a high intention to become involved in social entrepreneurship.

  2. 2.

    Exposure to social entrepreneurship: Students who are exposed to the concept of social entrepreneurship and have the opportunity to learn about successful social ventures are more likely to develop an interest in this field.

  3. 3.

    Role models and mentors: Students who have access to successful social entrepreneurs and have the opportunity to learn from their experiences are more likely to develop a strong intention to pursue social entrepreneurship.

  4. 4.

    Education and training: Programs and courses that focus on social entrepreneurship and provide students with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to launch and scale social ventures can have a positive impact on their intention to become involved in this field.

  5. 5.

    Social and environmental awareness: Students who have a strong awareness of social and environmental issues and are motivated to address these challenges are more likely to have a high intention to pursue social entrepreneurship.

Overall, the intention of students to pursue social entrepreneurship is shaped by a complex interplay of personal, environmental, and educational factors. By understanding these factors, educators and program developers can create initiatives and programs that support and encourage students to pursue social entrepreneurship.

Social Entrepreneurship Awareness

Social entrepreneurship awareness refers to an individual’s understanding and knowledge of the concept of social entrepreneurship including its definition, purpose, and potential impact (Kuratko et al., 2010; Anderson & Jack, 2011; Chen & Christiansen, 2015; Teixeira, 2015). It is emphasized that Social Entrepreneurship Awareness is crucial in shaping individuals’ intentions to engage in social entrepreneurship activities. Moreover, social entrepreneurship involves starting and running a business with the primary aim of addressing a social or environmental issue, while also generating financial returns. Besides, awareness of social entrepreneurship encompasses an individual’s understanding of the principles and objectives of social entrepreneurship, as well as their knowledge of the resources and support available for such activities. Individuals who are aware of social entrepreneurship are able to understand its importance and viability and are more likely to consider it as a viable option for addressing social and environmental issues.

Furthermore, several studies have investigated the impact of Social Entrepreneurship Awareness on an individual’s intention to engage in such activities (Kuratko et al., 2010; Anderson & Jack, 2011; Chen & Christiansen, 2015; Teixeira, 2015). The research has shown that individuals with a high level of Social Entrepreneurship Awareness are more likely to have a positive attitude toward social entrepreneurship and to see it as a viable option. Furthermore, they are more likely to believe in their ability to start and run a successful social enterprise and to have a higher intention to engage in such activities. An example of Social Entrepreneurship Awareness:

  1. 1.

    Social entrepreneurship education programs: Social entrepreneurship education programs aim to increase awareness of social entrepreneurship by providing individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to start and run a social enterprise. These programs may be offered at universities or through non-profit organizations, and typically include courses and workshops on social entrepreneurship, as well as mentorship and networking opportunities (Kuratko et al., 2010; Anderson & Jack, 2011; Chen & Christiansen, 2015).

  2. 2.

    Social entrepreneurship competitions: Social entrepreneurship competitions provide a platform for individuals to showcase their social enterprise ideas and to receive feedback and support from experts in the field. These competitions aim to increase awareness of social entrepreneurship by highlighting the impact and potential of such activities (Kuratko et al., 2010; Anderson & Jack, 2011; Chen & Christiansen, 2015).

  3. 3.

    Social entrepreneurship events and conferences: Social entrepreneurship events and conferences aim to bring together individuals and organizations involved in social entrepreneurship to network, share best practices, and learn from each other. These events and conferences provide an opportunity for individuals to learn about social entrepreneurship and to connect with others in the field (Teixeira, 2015).

  4. 4.

    Social entrepreneurship media coverage: Social entrepreneurship media coverage, such as articles, podcasts, and videos, can increase awareness of social entrepreneurship by showcasing the impact and potential of such activities. By highlighting successful social enterprises and their positive impact on society, media coverage can inspire individuals to consider social entrepreneurship as a viable option (Kuratko et al., 2010; Anderson & Jack, 2011; Chen & Christiansen, 2015).

It has been demonstrated that Social Entrepreneurship Awareness initiatives can take various forms, including educational programs, awareness-raising campaigns, social entrepreneurship competitions, and conferences. These initiatives aim to raise awareness about the concept of social entrepreneurship and its potential impact, and to educate individuals about the goals and purpose of social entrepreneurship.

The Effect of Attitude Toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention

Liang and Wang (2015) find that positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship have a positive effect on entrepreneurial intention, while negative attitudes have a negative effect. The study also highlights the importance of considering attitudes when studying entrepreneurial behavior. However, Nguyen and Nguyen (2017) have developed a theoretical model of Social Entrepreneurship Intention and examine its determinants, including attitudes toward social entrepreneurship. They found that positive attitudes toward social entrepreneurship have a significant positive impact on Social Entrepreneurship Intention.

According to Bosma et al. (2009), positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship have a positive impact on entrepreneurial intention, and those negative attitudes have a negative impact on university students. They also highlight the importance of considering attitudes when studying entrepreneurial behavior. The importance of attitudes in shaping Social Entrepreneurship Intention. Positive attitudes toward social entrepreneurship have been shown to have a positive impact on intention, while negative attitudes have a negative impact. The studies also highlight the importance of considering attitudes when studying social entrepreneurship behavior.

  • H1: There is a significant effect between Attitude and Social Entrepreneurship Intention.

The Effect of Subjective Norms Toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention

In the study of Liang and Wang (2015), they realized that Subjective Norms have a significant impact on entrepreneurial intention and that individuals are more likely to engage in entrepreneurship if they perceive that their peers and significant others approve of such behavior. Besides, Nguyen and Nguyen (2017) found that Subjective Norms have a significant positive impact on Social Entrepreneurship Intention. The Subjective Norms have a significant impact on entrepreneurial intention, and those individuals are more likely to engage in entrepreneurship if they perceive that their peers and significant others approve of such behavior among university students (Bosma et al., 2009; Singh & Kaur, 2017). These studies demonstrate the importance of Subjective Norms in shaping Social Entrepreneurship Intention. The perception of approval or disapproval from peers and significant others has been shown to have a significant impact on Social Entrepreneurship Intention. These findings highlight the importance of considering Subjective Norms when studying social entrepreneurship behavior.

  • H2: There is a significant effect between Subjective Norms and Social Entrepreneurship Intention.

The Effect of Social Entrepreneurship Awareness Toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention

Social entrepreneurship awareness refers to an individual’s understanding and knowledge of the concept of social entrepreneurship. According to Reichert and Peitz (2015), in this study, individuals who are more aware of social entrepreneurship are more likely to engage in social entrepreneurship themselves. Consequently, Social Entrepreneurship Awareness has a positive impact on Social Entrepreneurship Intention. Besides, exposure to entrepreneurial education, including education on social entrepreneurship, positively impacts entrepreneurial intention (Li & Wong-On-Wing, 2015).

However, Teixeira (2015) discusses the role of education and awareness in promoting social entrepreneurship. The author argues that education and awareness are crucial for promoting social entrepreneurship and increasing the number of individuals who engage in social entrepreneurship activities. In addition, in the study of the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intention, including education on social entrepreneurship, researchers found that exposure to entrepreneurship education, including education on social entrepreneurship, has a positive impact on entrepreneurial intention (Anderson & Jack, 2011).

Individuals who are more aware of social entrepreneurship are more likely to engage in social entrepreneurship themselves, and exposure to education and awareness of social entrepreneurship has been shown to have a positive impact on Social Entrepreneurship Intention. These findings highlight the importance of promoting Social Entrepreneurship Awareness in order to encourage individuals to engage in social entrepreneurship activities (Fig. 10.1).

Fig. 10.1
A block flowchart. 3 blocks titled attitude, subjective norms, and social entrepreneurship awareness point to social entrepreneurship intention with arrows labeled H 1, H 2, and H 3.

Conceptual framework

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  • H3: There is a significant effect between Social Entrepreneurship Awareness and Social Entrepreneurship Intention.

Research Methodology

Research Design

The cross-sectional research design was employed to examine the Social Entrepreneurship Intention of students in Higher Education in Malaysia context. The data were collected from 172 students through an online survey from March 2022 to May 2022. All the respondents were selected from the Entrepreneurship course in the second semester. These respondents are believed to have strong entrepreneurial activity involvement and it is important to continually study and refine their entrepreneurial profile. Participants were assured that all information was kept confidential and their participation was voluntary. This study used SPSS 26 to analyze the effect between independent variables and dependent variables.

Survey Instrument

The structured questionnaire used in this study was adopted from earlier studies with minor modifications. In this study, a five-point Likert scale was employed to measure the variables, which include strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. For the Attitude variable, there are six items were adopted from Liñán and Chen (2009). Attitude refers to an individual’s overall evaluation of social entrepreneurship as a concept and as a career option. This construct is important because it can influence an individual’s intention to pursue social entrepreneurship (Krueger & Brazeal, 1994). The items in the survey instrument ask participants to rate their level of agreement with statements about social entrepreneurship and to provide an explanation of their overall attitude toward social entrepreneurship. While Subjective Norms refer to a person’s impression of the support or opposition of significant others regarding engaging in social entrepreneurship. This construct is significant because it may have an impact on a person’s decision to engage in social entrepreneurship (Ajzen & Driver, 1991). The survey’s questions ask respondents to rate how much their perceptions of the level of support or opposition from significant figures in their lives have an impact on their decision to pursue social entrepreneurship. To measure the Subjective Norms, six items were adopted from Liñán and Chen (2009), Liñán et al. (2011), Heuer and Kolvereid (2014), Solesvik et al. (2012), and Souitaris et al. (2007). Five items for Social Entrepreneurship Awareness were derived from Krueger Jr et al. (2000). Social Entrepreneurship Awareness refers to an individual’s knowledge and understanding of social entrepreneurship as a concept and as a career option. This construct is important because it can influence an individual’s intention to pursue social entrepreneurship (Bosma & Wennekers, 2009). The survey’s items ask respondents to rank their acquaintance with social entrepreneurship and select the definition that most closely reflects their understanding of the idea. Finally, five items were extracted from Krueger Jr et al. (2000) to measure Social Entrepreneurship Intention. Social Entrepreneurship Intention, which describes a person’s propensity and drives to pursue social entrepreneurship as a vocation. This construct is crucial because it has the ability to foretell whether a person would actually engage in social entrepreneurship (Kolvereid & Isaksen, 2006). The survey’s questions ask respondents to rank the elements that would most likely affect their decision to pursue social entrepreneurship and to rate their chance of doing so.

Findings

Demographic Profile

Table 10.1 reveals the details characteristics of the respondents in this study. As for the field of study, the survey was dominated by Entrepreneurship courses (51.2%), followed by Art (18.0%), Business Admin (17.4%), and other courses indicate that 10% and below were respondents’ choice (Banking, Economics, Education, Geography, Heritage, Islamic Banking and Finance, Logistics, Computer Science, and Technology). Meanwhile, the majority of the respondents were represented by 91.9%, aged between 21 and 24 years old, 6.8% were aged between 25 and 28 years old, and 6% were aged 29 years and above. However, only 1.2% of the respondents were aged 20 years and below. Furthermore, there are more females (72.7%) than males (27.3%) who participate in this survey. As for the working experience, most of the respondents agree that they have experience (75.6%), while the remaining percentage have no working experience. In addition, about 38.4% of the respondent’s parents’ occupations were self-employed, and the remaining respondents (29.7%, 23.3%, 4%, and 1.2%) were in private, government, others, and unemployed, respectively. However, only 2.9% of the parents were retired. The respondents who had not completed the Entrepreneurship courses were represented by 44.8%, while 55.2% of the respondents did not complete the Entrepreneurship courses. Regarding CGPA, the majority of the students who achieved an excellent result of 3.00–3.49 was at 58.7%, while 32.6% achieved 3.50 and above. The remaining students achieved 2.99 and below.

Table 10.1 Demographic Profile
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Reliability Test

Before conducting the main analysis, a reliability test was performed with all the items tapping into the independent variables and dependent variables that were included in the study. The reliability test for this study is executed with the analysis of Cronbach alpha as displayed in Table 10.2. The results for the reliability of the item measurement indicate that each construct is satisfied since the values exceeded the recommended threshold, which is above 0.70 (Taber, 2018). The Cronbach alpha value for Attitude is 0.922, Subjective Norms is 0.877, Social Entrepreneurship Awareness is 0.920, and Social Entrepreneurship Intention is 0.952. Therefore, it can be concluded that each of the constructs is acceptable for this study.

Table 10.2 Reliability construct
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Regression Analysis

Before we proceed to further discuss the results of analysis which showcase outputs based on (ordinal) logistic regression models, it is worth noting that this study considers three different independent variables, which include Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Social Entrepreneurship Awareness. All these independent variables are assumed to have some impact on the dependent variable, which is Social Entrepreneurship Intention. We further note that all the variables (both independent and dependent) are measured in the form of Likert scales, which are essentially ordinal variables. Since Likert scales are ordinal data, the most appropriate measure of central tendency is the median, which represents the middle value of the data. This is attributable to the fact that the median is less affected by extreme values than the mean, and is appropriate for data which are not normally distributed, common with Likert scales.

As an indicative example, under the independent variable Attitude, we have six questions under the section that aim to estimate this variable (intuitively labeled as At1, At2, …, and At6). All these Likert items can be summarized by a single median value (for each individual) to best showcase that particular individual’s Attitude. As our dependent variable is ordinal (consisting of ordered categories with 1 denoting strong disagreement and 5 denoting strong agreement), we have opted to use an ordinal logistic regression approach to model the relationships between this dependent variable and three other independent variables mentioned. This is due to that an ordinal logistic regression is specifically designed for modeling the relationship between an ordinal outcome variable and one or more predictor variables.

Furthermore, throughout the procedures of analyses based on the ordinal logistic regression approach, we have used the Logit link function as it converts the predicted probabilities of ordinal outcomes into log odds, which is the natural logarithm of the odds, and permits a linear relationship between the predictor variables and the outcome variable (that is, the link function takes the natural logarithm of the odds of being in a higher outcome category compared to the current category).

  • A1. To examine the effect of Attitude toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention

  • A2. To examine the effect of Subjective Norms toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention

  • A3. To examine the effect of Social Entrepreneurship Awareness toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention

In this section, three variables were analyzed to examine the effects of independent variables on the dependent variable:

Regression Analysis for A1

Under this part, we shall examine the effect of Attitude toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention, based on an ordinal logistic regression approach. Note again that the link function used is a Logit link function, for its desirable properties. We can observe, based on the model fitting information (Table 10.3), that the −2 Log Likelihood with intercept only comes at the value of 177.526 while the final model considered comes at the value of 54.337. We note here that a lower value implies a better fit of the model, and the −2 Log Likelihood measures how well the model fits the data collected. It is a powerful goodness-of-fit statistic that compares the observed data with predictions made by the model.

Table 10.3 Model fitting information
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Under the outputs of parameter estimates generated by SPSS (see, for example, Table 10.4), we can see the expected change in the log odds of moving to a higher outcome category for a one-unit increase in the predictor variable, while holding all other variables constant. The sign of the coefficient estimate may first be inspected for interpretation, where in general a positive estimate implies that as the predictor variable increases, the log-odds of moving to a higher outcome category increase and contrariwise for a negative estimate. We further note that a larger coefficient, in its absolute value, indicates a stronger relationship between the predictor variable and the outcome variable. In addition, a smaller standard error and a p-value less than the proposed level of significance (say 0.05) suggest a more statistically significant estimate.

Table 10.4 Parameter Estimates
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Based on the outputs in Table 10.4, all but the category of Attitude = 4.50 has negative estimates, which comes at the value of 0.273, with a p-value of 0.759. This is also the only category with an odds ratio greater than one, as Exp (0.273) = 1.3139. This implies that for each one-unit increase in the predictor variable, the odds of moving to a higher outcome category are about 1.3 times greater, while holding all other variables constant.

If we, for example, consider a more significant location parameter based on the p-value, say at Attitude = 4.00, we can see that it comes at the value of −2.779 with a statistically significant p-value and a much smaller standard error as compared to when Attitude = 4.50. The odds ratio at the value of Exp (−2.779) = 0.0621, which is less than one, implies that as the predictor variable increases, the odds of moving to a higher outcome category decrease, by around 0.06 times. It can be concluded that the impact is there, although by a weak intensity.

Regression Analysis for A2

We can observe, based on the model fitting information for Subjective Norms toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention in Table 10.5, that the −2 Log Likelihood with intercept only comes at the value of 166.798 while the final model considered comes at the value of 81.455, implying a good model fit. All the location parameters also appear to be statistically significant, and come at negative signs, with different magnitudes as shown in Table 10.6.

Table 10.5 Model fitting information
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Table 10.6 Parameter estimates
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A notable location parameter is when Subjective Norms = 4.50 as it has a p-value of 0.015 and an estimate of −1.619 which, when converted to odds ratio, comes at the value of Exp (−1.619) = 0.1981. This implies that as the predictor variable increases, the odds of moving to a higher outcome category decrease, by around 0.2 times. The influence is considerably greater compared to what we have for Attitude toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention.

Regression Analysis for A3

Based on the model fitting information for Social Entrepreneurship Awareness toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention in Table 10.7, the −2 Log Likelihood with intercept only comes at the value of 163.632 while the final model considered comes at the value of 45.698, implying a substantially better model fit. All the location parameters also appear to be statistically significant, and come at negative signs, with different magnitudes as shown in Table 10.8.

Table 10.7 Model fitting information
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Table 10.8 Parameter estimates
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The most notable location parameter is when Social Entrepreneurship Awareness = 4.00 as it has a p-value of less than 0.05 and an odds ratio of Exp (−2.599) = 0.0743. This implies that as the predictor variable increases, the odds of moving to a higher outcome category decrease, by around 0.07 times. The effect is considerably less noticeable compared to the one indicated by Subjective Norms and Social Entrepreneurship Intention.

Discussion

This study’s objective is to determine the effect of attitude, Subjective Norms, and Social Entrepreneurship Awareness on Social Entrepreneurship Intention based on hypothesized relationships. Findings on specific Social Entrepreneurship Intentions are further discussed below. Young generations are the future leaders of the country in providing solutions to social issues in innovative ways through social entrepreneurial initiatives (Jemari et al., 2017; Shahverdi et al., 2018). Thus, this study reveals that students in Higher Education are pivotal in comprehending Social Entrepreneurship Intention among their generation. The findings that Attitude affects Social Entrepreneurship Intention are consistent with previous research (Jadmiko, 2021; Luc, 2018; Rambe & Ndofirepi, 2021). This study found that positive attitudes among students increase optimism, in terms of their choice and plan to become social entrepreneurs or engage in social entrepreneurial activities. This positivism led them to start a business in the social area through experience and personal characteristics. Hence, Attitude has been proven to be an essential factor in possessing Social Entrepreneurship Intention with a positive impact.

Subjective Norms show a different dimension of students, in terms of beliefs from their friends, parents, or other family members to performing or not toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention (Ajzen & Driver, 1991). This indicates that social pressure from family or important people influenced their decision to involve or not in social entrepreneurship activities or act as a social entrepreneur. Besides, those important people play an important role in supporting their decision and action to become social entrepreneurs (De Jorge-Moreno et al., 2012). They feel comfortable and safe because they have someone who supports and stands by his/her side in making something of value in their life, study, or career. Furthermore, the findings are in agreement with the extant literature that verifies the significant positive of Subjective Norms on Social Entrepreneurship Intention (Ahuja et al., 2019). However, Cavazos-Arroyo et al., (2017) mention their argument that Subjective Norms and intention have been inconclusive in findings and disclosed inconsistent results. For this study, students need support or someone who can guide or help them in making reasonable decisions. Therefore, it becomes crucial to examine Subjective Norms in predicting Social Entrepreneurship Intention.

For H3, the findings indicate that Social Entrepreneurship Awareness significantly affects Social Entrepreneurship Intention among students. These findings could be associated with the university ecosystem toward social entrepreneurship in increasing students’ awareness and knowledge of social problems solution. By increasing students’ awareness, universities will be better equipped to escalate the desirability toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention, thus increasing students’ perceptions of opportunity (Usman et al., 2022). Social problems in this globalized era are not limited to an individual or community but affect everyone globally (Gandhi & Raina, 2018; Premkumar et al., 2022). These problems can only be mitigated when all the people have social awareness. Regarding this alarming social issue, social awareness among the young generation is important in reflecting those issues (Hockerts, 2018). Not only can they provide solutions to social problems, but also, they may overcome economic recession (Tran et al., 2016). Therefore, social awareness can be implanted into young generations’ interests to improve their society and country. The youth should be encouraged to engage passionately in social entrepreneurship and inspired to become social entrepreneurs or adapt social entrepreneurship elements in decision-making (Jemari et al., 2017; Bazan et al., 2020).

Implications

This study further contributes to the literature by determining the Social Entrepreneurship Intention focusing on three variables, which are Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Social Entrepreneurship Awareness. Besides, it also little research has been conducted on Social Entrepreneurship Intention among students, employing Social Entrepreneurship Awareness. This study also can expand in proposing a measurement scale for students’ intention toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention and the evaluation in considering that the students apply social entrepreneurial elements.

This study’s findings help decision makers to consider this component in policy implementation. This initiative is in line with the government’s effort to support social entrepreneurship in the country as a means to increase the socio-economic and reduce social issues. Accordingly, the institution can collaborate with industries and agencies to train or prepare the next generation of social entrepreneur leaders who are committed to social practices and sustainability. Thus, there is a need for support mechanisms to help the students transform into the social entrepreneurial mindset that affects their interest in becoming social entrepreneurs (Shahverdi et al., 2018; Peng et al., 2019). As a result, the institution creates a social entrepreneurial ecosystem with support from the people around them, at the same time providing value to society.

Limitation and Future Research

The study aims to provide an approach to comprehend how Social Entrepreneurship Intention is affected by Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and Social Entrepreneurship Awareness. However, there are limitations that must be discussed and issues that are still open for future research. The study limitations include the flaw of cross-sectional studies that refer to the cause-and-effect relationship. Furthermore, the study framework is a relatively straightforward effect relationship with only three independent variables and a dependent variable. Thus, future research supposedly employed longitudinal studies to investigate the environmental and economic perspectives toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention. A more comprehensive model should be used by considering other dimensions such as institutions, experience, and support to provide a better understanding related to Social Entrepreneurship Intention. Moreover, researchers may also expand the study by adding another moderator or mediator to increase the robust result. However, this study provides useful information where social entrepreneurship context is dramatically increased at a tremendous speed but research in this field is still struggling to provide answers to the researchers. Future studies could take into account other perspectives or factors such as culture and regulation between developed and developing countries.

Secondly, the limitation is that this study was targeted at students from an entrepreneurship course and it may not be generalized to students from non-entrepreneurial courses. Also, the students were selected as a respondent in three public universities only in Malaysia due to time and resource constraints. In addition, university lecturers and other staff were not engaged in this study, who can contribute insights into this study otherwise. This limitation also affects the sample size of this study which limits the observation to a particular time. The proposed model in this research study also offers room for further improvement. Therefore, future studies should consider broadening the scope to engage the private university that may contribute to the new findings according to different courses and governance. The future respondents may consist of non-entrepreneurship students to see the different perspectives and understanding among university students. Lecturers and staff engagement will play an important role to ensure they provide a supportive ecosystem in institutions to encourage students toward Social Entrepreneurship Intention (Kim et al., 2020).

Conclusion

Social entrepreneurs have become increasingly important to our contemporary society as we march toward sustainability and prosperity. Such objects can be achieved by the proposition of scalable solutions applicable in numerous contexts. Due to their significant contributions in addressing various social and environmental challenges, the field of social entrepreneurship has attracted considerable attention and support from the governments, philanthropists, and investors in recent years. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that students in Malaysian public universities are aware of the existence and importance of social entrepreneurship, although the majority of them are still oblivious to how it can be practiced. Such phenomenon can stem from their lack of knowledge and motivation, which can be combated by motivating them to initiate social entrepreneurial activities through the identification of key components associated with social entrepreneurial attributes. Our statistical analysis reveals that Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Social Entrepreneurship Awareness all affect Social Entrepreneurship Intention at varying intensity, with Subjective Norms being the most dominant factor. By inculcating social entrepreneurs who actively innovate, foster partnerships, and empower communities, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) can, without a doubt, be achieved.