Empowering Social Responsibility through Education: Development and Validation of a Social Entrepreneurship Education Scale in Chinese Higher Education

This study addresses a critical gap in educational research by developing and validating a perception scale for Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE) in Chinese higher education. As the role of universities in shaping socially responsible youth becomes increasingly vital, especially in rapidly transforming Asian societies, a robust instrument to assess students’ engagement with SEE is urgently needed. Drawing on a survey of 974 university students in Chongqing, China, this study employs Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the structure and antecedents of SEE perception. The analysis identifies five core components of SEE: pre-program awareness, program engagement, post-program impact, social implementation, and future commitment. Results reveal that prior experience, self-efficacy, social support, and institutional factors significantly influence SEE engagement, while empathy and moral obligation show limited predictive power. The validated scale offers practical and theoretical implications for policymakers and educators seeking to advance socially transformative education. This tool provides a framework for assessing SEE effectiveness and informing context-sensitive curriculum design for Asian youth empowerment. Highlights Develops and validates a five-dimensional Social Entrepreneurship Education (SEE) perception scale tailored to Chinese higher education. Employs a combined CFA and PLS-SEM approach with 974 university students to ensure strong psychometric reliability and validity. Identifies SEE as a structured learning journey spanning pre-program awareness, program delivery, post-program reflection, perceived impact, and future commitment. Reveals social entrepreneurship intent and higher education institution (HEI) choice as the strongest predictors of students’ engagement in SEE. Provides actionable guidance for universities and policymakers to design evidence-based SEE programs for Asian youth social innovation.