Experiências acadêmicas no exterior: as contribuições da mobilidade acadêmica internacional para a formação dos estudantes

Abstract

The internationalization of higher education went from a logic related to the provision of services with the work of professors coming from numerous places in the creation of Universities, to a logic of competition in search of the international reputation of the institutions, from great agreements signed for the development attention to the demands of the market. Currently student mobility can be considered as one of the main elements of internationalization, due to the increase in student flow and agreements between institutions. Considering these elements, this work sought to investigate and analyze the contributions of student mobility programs in the academic and personal formation of the students of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel). This is a qualitative research carried out with students who went abroad through UFPel’ s student mobility programs. To be part of the sample, students should have held the 2012-2014 exchange and after returning to Brazil, have stayed in the institution for at least one more semester. Interviews were conducted with 13 students in their course environment, and these were recorded and later transcribed. In addition, an online form containing semi-structured questions was sent to academics who participated in an international mobility program for Physical Education courses at the University. The analysis of the collected data was made from the content analysis, proposed by Bardin (1977) and divided into three categories of results. From the speech of the subjects of the research it was possible to identify that the period before the trip abroad is permeated by motivations, doubts and uncertainties related to what will be experienced in a different place. Students of different personal characteristics end up choosing to carry out student mobility, access is broad contrary to what the initial hypotheses suggested. The possibility of knowing a different culture and being able to develop academic research activities in a more developed environment influences in the choice to carry out the exchange. During the stay abroad, the students perceived a reception of the institution, however, there is a great distance between the native students and those who carry out the exchange, being that there is a greater approximation between the individuals who are external to the place that is carried out the mobility. In addition, we realize that there is a contact with different people and cultures, which represents a great maturation and personal growth of the students. Finally, it is possible to signal that student mobility can provide great contributions in the formation, but the return to the university can be better utilized, potentiating the formation of more academics who do not have the experience.