Volunteering as an Explanatory Factor of Social Entrepreneurship: An Analysis of an Educational Context

Abstract

The promotion of entrepreneurial intention in educational contexts is a priority that is increasingly present in academic planning, especially at university level. Furthermore, social entrepreneurship has been gaining prominence not only as a formula for improving the welfare and equity of society as a whole, but also as a mechanism for professional development. Taking into account both aspects, this paper analyzes the effect of university students participating in volunteer activities on their intention to carry out social entrepreneurship projects. With this objective, this study is based on the Theory of Planned Action of Ajzen. A sample of 208 university students was analyzed, 96 of whom had some experience of volunteering. The results confirm that taking part in volunteering, during students’ education, positively affects their intention to start social entrepreneurship projects. This result allows us to conclude that encouraging volunteering could be a good methodological tool to promote social entrepreneurship within the educational field. In addition, the implementation of this type of social project could benefit university students not only by making social improvements to their environment, but also as a labor insertion tool.