Internationalization rationales, obstacles and drivers: a multiple case study of Spanish higher education institutions

Abstract

This research examined the cases of three diverse Spanish universities, making inferences about the factors influencing the internationalization processes of higher education institutions in response to the broader forces of globalization. Data were collected from a panel of experts and multiple public and institutional sources utilizing a mixed methods approach to build portraits of international engagement, produce internationalization indexes and analyze rationales, obstacles and drivers. The Horn, Hendel and Fry (2007) method was adapted and used to assess the international dimension of universities in the Spanish context. A comparison and contrast of themes from the three cases provides evidence of universal institutional internationalization rationales, coinciding with those identified by Knight (2006) as of emerging importance; and unveils six factors, or categories of obstacles and drivers, influencing the internationalization of Spanish higher education institutions, including: governance, cultural traits, the economic scenario, applicable legislation, human resources, and branding.