Towards enhancing social entrepreneurial intention in secondary school contexts

Social Entrepreneurs have the potential to address the unmet needs of disadvantaged communities providing both economic and social benefits. Existing models of Social Entrepreneurial Intention demonstrate a pathway to future intent and early educational intervention has proven beneficial to increasing the intention of young people to think and act entrepreneurially. However, a dearth of adoptable evidence exists within the field of entrepreneurship education exemplifying the social interactions that enhance or sustain social entrepreneurial intention in second level educational settings. This paper argues for the adoption of a social constructionist approach to entrepreneurship education with the express aim of increasing social entrepreneurial intention in participating second level students. The authors present a multi-ontological framework, building on existing models, that aims to enhance social entrepreneurial intention amongst Irish secondary school students ages 15-17 years. It is intended that this framework will inform the development, and assess the effectiveness, of a designed academic unit that requires the formation of teams and the production of an artefact to solve an environmental problem in their local community. This paper and the future findings from this research will be of interest to those involved in the delivery of entrepreneurship education, both in formal and non-formal settings.