Processo de adaptação cultural de estudantes em situação de mobilidade acadêmica internacional: um estudo de caso na Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC)

Abstract

Over time people have been showing an increasing interest in learning about new cultures, learning new languages and gaining knowledge from the most diverse teaching institutions; and in the present day with the advent of technology and globalization it is noted that the number of individuals who seek through international academic mobility to enjoy quality higher education and to qualify professionally is increasing. In this sense, it is necessary to understand how the process of adaptation of these individuals occurs when they move to a foreign country for the purpose of carrying out an academic exchange, since an unsuccessful exchange experience causes losses both for the student when for the Teaching Institutions involved. Thus, the present research has as general objective to analyze the process of cultural adaptation of foreign students in a situation of international academic mobility at the Federal University of Ceará. To achieve this objective, however, it was necessary initially to make a bibliographic study about the subject in order to give a theoretical basis to the research, and posteriorly semistructured interviews were carried out with eight individuals, being these foreign students who are currently participating in an academic exchange at the Federal University of Ceará and former students who have previously participated in the same experience of international academic mobility at the Federal University of Ceará, but have already finished their studies and returned to their countries of origin. The results show that the main difficulties inherent to the adaptation process are not due to the cultural differences between Brazil and the country of origin of these students, but rather to other factors and if they were treated in advance by the competent Organs of the University, the experience of academic exchange would be more beneficial to these students. Thus, it was possible to conclude that the Institution of Higher Education holds a very important role in the process of adaptation of its foreign students, since it is initially responsible for receiving them, guiding them and assisting them in the process of inclusion to the environment academic and social context of the country in which these individuals are entering.