The interest in promoting social entrepreneurship projects lies in their ability to develop innovative solutions to social and environmental problems. This ability becomes even more important in situations of global crises such as that arising from COVID-19. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), an explanatory structural model of social entrepreneurial intention was tested, and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on this intention was evaluated. To do this, a quantitative investigation was conducted using a survey of Spanish university students, obtaining a total of 558 responses: 324 before the COVID-19 crisis and 234 during the crisis period (February and June 2020). The results obtained make it possible to validate the explanatory model of social entrepreneurial intention from the perspective of the TPB. In addition, it shows that social entrepreneurial intention decreases in times of deep socioeconomic crises and high uncertainty, such as that caused by COVID-19.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role that the sociocultural, family and university environment play in the entrepreneurial intention of young people in a peripheral and less innovative region. Design/methodology/approach: The authors adopted the perspective of the theory of planned behavior and made an empirical study with a sample of 1,064 Spanish university students who voluntarily participated in the GUESSS Project answering an online questionnaire. A methodology based on structural equations was used employing the partial least squares structural equation modeling estimation technique. Findings: The results show that the university environment directly influences attitude, self-confidence and motivation, and indirectly the students’ entrepreneurial intention. The social context also exerts a weak direct influence on the perceived attitudes or desires toward the option to start a business and indirectly on the intention. Originality/value: The main contribution of this paper seems to confirm what previous literature highlighted in the terms of regional specificities on the link between innovation systems, the impact of entrepreneurial potential and economic development. In this sense, the university context can play an important role in generating improvements in the entrepreneurial intention’s antecedents of young people with greater potential for innovation in peripheral regions. Therefore, when it comes to defining policies to improve entrepreneurship in these regions, it seems that the establishment of entrepreneurship education and motivation programs in universities is a very effective tool to increase perceived attitude toward the option to start a new business.

The teaching–learning model in higher education has changed markedly in the past decade. A static approach in which students were passive subjects of their own learning processes has now given way to a dynamic model in which students are actively centred. In this context, it is essential to test teaching–learning models that promote students’ new role, as well as their effectiveness in helping them acquire competences. This study describes the experience of implementing a project-based learning methodology as a tool to promote the acquisition of a set of skills, both generic and specific, in undergraduate education, more specifically entrepreneurial competences among a group of university students. In order to analyse the impact of the intervention, pre-test and post-test analyses were carried out and confirmed that project-based learning does produce an increased perception of the acquisition of both the generic and specific skills associated with the subject as well as a significant improvement in perceptions of entrepreneurial competence.

The entrepreneurial potential of a region is a key factor in linking innovation to the market, thus leading to economic growth. This is especially important in peripheral regions that are characterized by low innovative dynamism. This paper analyses the entrepreneurial process in a European peripheral region, the Canary Islands, Spain. It attempts to determine possible cultural specificities and the role of motivation in the entrepreneurial process. To do this, an analysis of entrepreneurial intention (EI) is framed within the theory of planned behaviour and using motivation, opportunity and ability theory. An empirical study was carried out using a sample of 1457 university students participating in the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey project. Results indicate that motivation influences EI directly and indirectly through an individual’s attitude towards entrepreneurial behaviour. The perception of business opportunities is also a significant antecedent of entrepreneurial motivation. Consequently, entrepreneurial education and policies to foster entrepreneurship in peripheral regions should not attempt to transform individuals’ attitudes towards entrepreneurship directly, but rather focus on improving motivation using intensive pedagogical strategies in creativity that go beyond mere informative content. Methodologies and content focused on recognizing opportunities and problem-solving would also be effective elements in educational programmes of entrepreneurship.