Motivations Among Experts in Internationalization in Higher Education: The Case of the CALCA Network

Abstract

Se trata de un estudio cualitativo de tipo exploratorio-descriptivo, cuyo objetivo es conocer las motivaciones de un grupo de nueve expertos de Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, México y Perú por pertenecer, participar y permanecer en la Red Conecta América Latina-Caribe-Alemania (CALCA), la cual se constituye por ex becarios del curso Management of Internationalization (MOI) auspiciado por el Servicio Alemán de Intercambio Académico (DAAD). Estas motivaciones fueron indagadas a través de un grupo focal en donde se identificaron las motivaciones intrínsecas o extrínsecas siguiendo el modelo de Stirling (2013) y Sansone & Morgan (1992). Los resultados evidencian que lejos de visibilizarse una motivación extrínseca de carácter meramente institucional, las respuestas convergen en la motivación intrínseca que generan pertenencia, sinergia y colaboración vinculadas al desarrollo personal y profesional de los participantes en el grupo focal.Collaboration between academic peers and university managers has different characteristics and motivations, some are personal and others institutional, especially among internationalization professionals. The construction of networks and communities can be supported in a prospective and relevant way by knowing the factors that determine good collaborative practices among internationalization experts. This qualitative exploratory-descriptive study analyzes the motivations of a group of nine experts from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru participating in the Latin AmericaCaribbean-Germany Network (CALCA) formed by a group of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Alumni. These motivations were examined through a focus group identifying intrinsic and extrinsic motivations following the model of Stirling (2013) and Sansone & Morgan (1992). The results show that there is a greater weight in the intrinsic motivations that generate membership, synergy and collaboration linked to the personal and professional development of the participants of this network.