Validation of the Questionnaire to Measure Social Entrepreneurship in a Sample of Mexican Health Sciences Students

Social entrepreneurship has emerged as a strategic approach to addressing collective needs through innovative and sustainable solutions. While many instruments have traditionally focused on business and organizational metrics, a significant gap remains in tools specifically validated for the professional and cultural context of health sciences in Latin America. Grounded in a multidimensional theoretical framework of social entrepreneurship traits, this study aimed to validate a questionnaire designed to measure social entrepreneurship among 1129 Mexican health science students. Following exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring and confirmatory factor analysis, a refined 17-item three-dimensional structure was identified, comprising innovative, execution, and social traits. The model demonstrated moderate fit (χ2 = 580.468, p <0.001; CFI = 0.831; RMSEA = 0.084) and preliminary internal consistency. Measurement invariance across sex and semester was also supported. These findings provide a context-specific tool for exploring initial entrepreneurial potential, enabling higher education institutions to design targeted programs that foster proactive innovation and social commitment toward sustainable development.