As bolsas de graduação-sanduiche do programa ciência sem fronteiras : uma análise de suas implicações educacionais

Abstract

The present research investigates the complex processes of creation and implementation of the Science Without Borders Program, the largest public policy for the internationalization of Higher Education in Brazil. Stemming from the integration between the areas of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (S,T&I), the program promotes the competitiveness of Brazilian education by sending students to study at internationally renowned foreign institutions. This study focuses on the expansion of the concession of undergraduate exchange scholarships and the educational implications of this policy for the students and institutions that benefit from it. The investigation was conducted at two state agencies that implement the policy, Capes and CNPq, and at a private Higher Education Institution in the Midwest region. It is a qualitative Case Study in which we used techniques of documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The study was based on Stephen Ball and his collaborators Policy Cycles Method (BOWE; BALL; GOLD, 1992; BALL, 1994) and analyses the policy from the viewpoint of five contextual cycles: the contexts of influence, text production, practice, results (effects) and strategic policy. The analysis of the data we collected for the research was done through the method of content analysis. The results show that, despite promoting academic internationalization and the training of human resources (KNIGTH, 2005), the Science Without Borders Program has more broadly strengthened the model of a passive internationalization of Brazilian students, teachers and researchers (MARRARA, 2007; LIMA; CONTEL, 2011). The data shows that the policy contributes to strengthen the large global higher education market. However, the study points out that the program s undergraduate exchange scholarships have also brought educational benefits for the students in the contemplated higher education institution. In what concerns the educational implications of the policy, the perceptions of the actors involved are contradictory. However, despite the limitations in the measures undertaken both by the implementing agencies and the Higher Education Institution, the majority of actors investigated recognize that the experience of internationalization contributes to the autonomy and academic maturity of students, expanding their learning contacts and networks. The research highlights the need for better communication between the Program, the Higher Education Institution and the Agencies that implement the policy. We recommend a review of the Program, especially in what concerns the monitoring of scholarship recipients by the Institutions of Higher Education, Capes and CNPq. Because it is a Case Study on a particularly recent policy, the study suggests that further research should be conducted, so as to create indicators that could contribute to the improvement of the Science Without Borders Program and other internationalization policies adopted by the Brazilian Government.