The impact of international mobility as experienced by Spanish academics

ABSTRACT

The objective of this research is to explore the experiences of the first generations of Spanish academics that carried out research stays in foreign institutions. The analysis of 30 semi-structured interviews shows the interviewees’ evaluation of their stay abroad, the impact that this had on their academic career and how the return to the home institution was a complex process of adaptation. It is an exploratory research which attempts to contribute to current debates about international mobility of academic staff. While it confirms that generally speaking mobility is perceived as positive there are negative aspects related to academics’ (re)integration related to cultural specificities and of the maturity of the scientific system.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• higher education
• international mobility

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Tamar Groves is a senior lecturer at the University of Extremadura, Spain. She has published monographs and edited volumes in international publishing houses such as Routledge and Palgrave. She has also published in leading journals such as the European History Quarterly, Journal of Social History, History of Education, and Paedagogica Historica. International Journal of the History of Education. She has specialized in the history of educational innovation, social and political mobilization and scientific culture. Currently she is working on educational transfer, women and higher education and teacher training.

Estrella Montes López is a lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Salamanca, Spain. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Salamanca, and her research focuses on the study of higher education and gender relations, specifically on women’s difficulties in accessing senior positions in academia. She is also interested in women's history, the rights of the children and the study of identity. On these topics she has several publications (articles and book chapters) and has made multiple presentations in national and international conferences. She was also invited to participate in the hearing on ‘Women's careers in science and university and glass ceilings encountered’ celebrated in the European Parliament.

Teresa Carvalho is an Assistant Professor at the University of Aveiro, in Portugal. She is a senior researcher at CIPES (Center for Research in Higher Education Policies) and a member of its board. Is the Director of the PhD programme in Public Policies at the University of Aveiro. She is a member of the ESA (European Sociological Association) Executive Committee, as chair of the RN-Council, for 2017–2019. Her main research interests are related with New Public Management and managerialism impact on professional groups. The main focus of her current research is the relation between managerialism and academic professionalism with an emphasis on gender issues. She has published research on these topics both in books, book chapters and scientific journals.

ORCID

Estrella Montes López http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8226-7504

Teresa Carvalho http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3368-3990