SOME EFFECTS OF INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY PROGRAM IN PRE-GRADUATE STUDENTS OF ENGINEERING AND NATURAL SCIENCES

The present work is the second part of a research project which is currently in the stage of exploration. The first part of the project aims at exploring the educational experience abroad, whereas the second part analyses the cultural and professional experience abroad of Mexican pre-graduate students of engineering and natural sciences seen from their perspective during and after their one year stay in Germany. Based on a document analysis of 16 written reports, the present research intends to give answers to questions as the following: Which modification of awareness do the students observe towards their own culture? How do students describe their education and training process? How do students evaluate the mobility program and the stay abroad with regard to their professional career? The special interest of this exploratory research work is focused on case studies in which the students' statements give a particular insight into the formation of professional skills and job-specific attitudes. Moreover, this work intends to describe the students' expectations when coming back and the types of situations und circumstances the found themselves confronted with in their educational training environment in Mexico. We hope to be able to contribute to improve educational processes, and to make findings from the point of view of its main actors as well as to support academic decision making the moment when students come back from academic exchange programs.