A Correlational Study of Attitudes of Students and Faculty Members Toward Internationalization in a Private Higher Education Institution in Puerto Rico
Ginorio-Martinez, Angel M. Northcentral University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2018. 10745717.
Globalization and internationalization are topics frequently discussed in the literature and their importance has been growing between higher education institutions around the world. In fact, the number of students seeking study abroad programs were 4.5 million in 2012 and is expected to rise to 7 million in 2020, representing $13.5 billion to US and $7.5 billion to Australia (HEIs). Consequently, HEIs are working to advance internationalization efforts. The research problem was the low interest toward internationalization in Latin American countries and the internationalization strategies to advance HEIs internationalization agendas. The purpose of this quantitative research, utilizing a correlational design was to examine the students and faculty’s attitude towards internationalization efforts in a private HEI in Puerto Rico. The theoretical framework used was the global citizenship theory to relate individual awareness perspectives and interconnectedness. The participants took an anonymous online survey that included demographic questions and a revised Kennesaw Internationalization Attitude survey during the spring semester of 2017. Eighty-two students and 89 faculty members completed the survey. The IBM SPSS 22 was used for correlational analysis. The results were as follow: (1) students and faculty members have a positive significant correlation between attitude and participation in internationalization activities (r < .05); (2) faculty member had a positive significant correlation between institution support and attitude ( r < .05), however, no significance with the students ( r > .05); and (3) the participants' perceived a positive correlation between benefits and attitude toward internationalization (r < .05). In conclusion, (1) students and faculty members showed a strong interest to participate in international activities and learned about international topics; and (2) the participants understood the benefits of internationalization for the development of global citizens. In addition, the institution should develop incentives programs to participate in international activities, such as study abroad, international research, and collaborations. The conclusions provided evidence to stakeholders to advance internationalization process. Future researchers should explore participants' motivation to engage in international activities.