Internationalization of research: Conceptions and perceptions of the Honduran faculty

Abstract

The generalized conception that considers university scientific production to be inherently and intrinsically international has contributed to the under-investigation of this object of study in empirical research. Here the various discursive positions on the conception and perception of the internationalization of research held by university professors in Honduras are presented, as well as the controversies that this issue raises in the countries of the region, all of which have an impact on the development of higher education institutions. To this end, a qualitative/structural methodology has been used to analyze the discursive data produced in group meetings convened according to an ad hoc structural sample. As a result, six discursive positions have been identified, which configure a relational structure, that has been graphically represented:: (A) Dependent, (B) Independent, (C) Passive (D) Interdependent, (E) Regional cooperative, and (F) Critical. Although the (A) Dependent position is identified as dominant, it is the (D) Interdependent that occupies the central position in the discursive space, as different positions converge in it. The analysis is a useful input for the design of public policies related to the internationalization of research.