University faculty contribution to study abroad programs: What do we know about their motivation

The internationalization of academic institutions is a comprehensive approach to higher education that helps prepare students for professional work in the globally interconnected society of the twenty-first century. Previous research has indicated that university faculty members play an important role as educational leaders, motivators, and facilitators of knowledge, encouraging their students to be practically engaged in the process of learning an academic field from international perspectives. In this respect, leadership of study abroad creates a great deal of responsibility and faculty members handle the most pressures.;The purpose of this study was to understand the university faculty motivation to lead educational programs overseas today, providing a comprehensive view of various academic fields and faculty profiles. Two aspects have been explored: (1) the content of professors' attitudes and the goals they attempt to pursue by leading academic programs abroad, and (2) their level of self-determined motivation. Self-determination theory served as a conceptual framework for this study, guiding the investigation of self-motivation and self-determination of individual faculty. The research design of this study included quantitative and qualitative methods. I developed the survey to test the hypothesis that a high degree of self-determined motivation of university faculty positively predicts various indicators that stimulate professors to travel overseas with their students. I also conducted interviews to explore qualitative essentials of faculty motivations and their international academic experiences. Findings from this research support academic institutions and International Programs offices in predicting intentions of university faculty to lead educational programs abroad, preparing a new generation of globalized citizens. Implications for policy were discussed to enhance professors' interests towards active involvement in the process of academic internationalization.