Globalization, internationalization and the faculty: culture and perception of full-time faculty at a research university

2012-09-21The processes of globalization have an impact on society in numerous ways. As a result, higher education institutions around the world attempt to adjust to these changes through internationalization efforts. Amongst the key stakeholders who play an important role in assuring that these efforts are successful is the faculty because it is this body of academics and scholars who are primarily responsible for the research and teaching aspects of the university. However, very little is known about faculty perceptions of internationalization and virtually no studies have investigated faculty perceptions of globalization. Furthermore, the cultures of faculty, specifically one of the most influential cultures – the disciplinary culture – could potentially have a significant impact on their perceptions. This study set out to investigate how faculty perceived globalization and internationalization, the faculty cultures that might be indicated by these perceptions, and whether or not these perceptions and cultures varied between the faculty disciplines. In this study, thirty full-time faculty at a research university were interviewed. All participants were selected based on their faculty position in one of three broad disciplinary groups: Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities. In implementing a qualitative methods approach, this study utilized an open-ended interviewing method. In the data analysis, Umbach’s (2007) model of faculty culture was employed as the theoretical framework. This study found that faculty perceptions of globalization and internationalization do vary substantially amongst the disciplines, and, although faculty do define these processes in a variety of contexts, faculty tend to understand globalization and internationalization through particular practices and policies within the higher education landscape. Due to the considerable differences in faculty perceptions and cultures, the researcher recommends that institutions of higher education take into account the cultural differences that may have an impact on faculty perceptions of globalization and internationalization, and that the contexts revealed by the faculty in this study – as ways in which they perceive these processes – can be utilized by institutions who seek to implement cohesive and successful internationalization efforts that address globalization