Innovative Social Problem Solving as a Determinant of Student Social Entrepreneurial Aspiration in Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62794/pjer.v4i2.457Keywords:
Innovative social problem solving, Social entrepreneurial aspiration, social entrepreneurship, Higher education, MalaysiaAbstract
Although socially innovative capacities are relevant to entrepreneurship education, their association with students' pre-venture social entrepreneurial aspirations remains insufficiently examined. This study examines the relationship between innovative social problem solving (ISPS) and student social entrepreneurial aspiration (SSEA) among higher education students in Northern Malaysia. A quantitative cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Kedah, Penang, Perak, and Perlis using purposive and convenience recruitment. Of 310 submitted records, 220 complete cases were analysed after consent, eligibility, and completeness screening, including the exclusion of 76 otherwise eligible records with incomplete aspiration items. Researcher-adapted five-point Likert measures were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression. HC3 heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors were applied following a significant Breusch-Pagan test. Mean ISPS scores were above the scale midpoint (M = 3.41), whereas SSEA scores were below it (M = 2.34). ISPS was positively associated with SSEA (r = .371, p < .001). The regression coefficient was positive (B = .404), and the model explained 13.8% of the observed variation in SSEA (R² = .138). The association remained statistically significant under HC3 inference (p < .001). These findings identify socially innovative problem-solving orientation as a correlate of pre-venture social entrepreneurial aspiration, complementing research on psychological and educational antecedents. However, the findings do not demonstrate causal effects or the effectiveness of educational interventions. Generalisability and interpretation are constrained by non-probability sampling, limited psychometric validation, and exclusions due to incomplete aspiration items.
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