Internationalization of higher education : obstacles of undergraduates from a Brazilian Community University to the realization of international academic mobility

Abstract

Objective: This article seeks to identify obstacles for the realization of Educational Exchange by academics in the Area of Knowledge of Social Sciences, considering, for analysis purposes, research conducted in a Brazilian community university, bringing the results obtained to studies conducted by other researchers. Methodologically, the exploratory-descriptive research had, as a technique for data collection, the application of an online questionnaire, with questions distributed in four sections thus constituted a) profile of the students; b) knowledge on the subject addressed; c) interest in achieving international academic mobility (MAI) and d) factors that would restrict the performance of MAI, totaling 180 respondents. Results: After compilation, in the analysis of the data, it was observed that among the restrictive factors the lack of financial resources (or associated factors) predominates, in addition to the mention of the language barrier. The lack of disclosure or lack of knowledge of MAI programs were also pointed out as obstacles. In this sense, the results, about restrictive factors, are close to other studies already conducted. Conclusion: In the considerations, in a reflexive tone, a question about the effectiveness of communication strategies between institutions and academics and about virtual academic mobility programs. Furthermore, it is considered that among the restrictive factors there are the existence of emotional factors, such as fear of the unknown.