Social Entrepreneurship: Challenges in the Implementation of Educational Technology Innovation to Address Literacy: Comparative Study Among Social Entrepreneurs in Prize-based Competitions

One of the leading causes of educational inequality persists because the lack of support from national governments has resulted in a disproportionate opportunity to learn and gain benefit from education. Thus, many children still lack basic skills, such as literacy. There is a growing hype in the discussion of information and communication technology-based literacy applications as a solution to chronic problems in the world of education. To date, substantive technology-based learning has emerged to the forefront of the debate to enrich conducive learning environments. Unfortunately, there is a lack of empirical studies in providing a deeper understanding of the prospective role of technology-based learning platforms. Therefore, this thesis investigates challenges in implementing the educational technology innovations generated by 12 social entrepreneurs and takes into account social entrepreneurship’s intermediary namely prize-based competitions. Additionally, this thesis also sheds some light on target audiences, types of digital innovation produced, and the motivations of social entrepreneurs to enter a prize-based competition. Through qualitative methods, namely content analysis and in-depth interviews, this thesis provides insight into the key challenges encountered by social enterprises that have emerged in the execution of technology on an educational scope. The findings indicated that challenges involved in the process of implementation and production are: location and cultural sensitivity (i.e. lack of qualified teachers, lack of supporting infrastructures, market characteristics), practical usability (i.e. software and device compatibility, data analytics, and feedback mechanisms), theoretical practicability (personalized and generic content), economic scalability (i.e. monetization, credibility of innovation), viable scalability, and strategic alliance establishment. The incorporation of technology in improving education can serve as a tutor, a teaching aid, or even as a cognitive learning tool. The target audience of the innovations can be classified into two categories: business-to-business and business-to-customers. Meanwhile, the motivations for entering a prize-based competition included: social motives, recognition of innovation, interconnected network, and guidance for improvement. Furthermore, the study makes new recommendations for the organizers of prize-based competitions in order to be more valuable for social entrepreneurs.