Social entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as a transformative force, given its dual capacity to address societal challenges and foster sustainable development. Higher education institutions have sought to strengthen social entrepreneurship education to cultivate the next generation of changemakers, Learning by Doing (LBD) has emerged as one of the most effective experiential approaches for developing entrepreneurial competencies (EC) and social entrepreneurial intention (SEI). Despite its growing importance, limited research has examined how LBD operates within structured, practice-based environments in the Global South. In response to this gap, our study examines Enactus Morocco, the country’s leading organization applying LBD to foster social entrepreneurship, SEI, and EC among university students while also considering prior knowledge and supportive learning environments as secondary moderating factors within an integrated theoretical framework.
Adopting a qualitative exploratory design, covering two complementary perspectives: the perspective of the organization Enactus Morocco and that of its student members. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants, ensuring ethical compliance and methodological rigor. The data were analyzed thematically using NVivo15.
The findings validated the proposed theoretical model, confirming that LBD effectively fosters EC and SEI, with the supportive environment emerging as a critical catalyst. Prior knowledge facilitated adaptation; however, students without such experience were able to compensate through the experiential nature of LBD, which accelerated skill acquisition. The results showed additional influencing factors, such as emotional support, a clear learning path, and Networking. Data saturation was achieved in the ninth interview.
Our study provides the first context-based framework linking LBD, SEI, and EC in a non-Western setting. It enhances theoretical understanding, guides educators, practitioners, and policymakers in designing transformative educational ecosystems, and underscores the potential of LBD to empower the next generation of socially responsible leaders. Our future research will expand this work through quantitative validation of the proposed model.
