Student perceptions of university internationalisation in Brazil – a case study

Abstract

This study aims to reflect on the relationship between internationalization and foreign languages (L2) as perceived by learners of a language and internationalization program, funded by the Brazilian government at a federal university. The discussion addresses the role of national/local language policies, relating them to the internationalization of higher education in Brazil. Answers to an online questionnaire used here suggest that the idea of internationalization is associated mainly with academic mobility. The importance of learning L2 for internationalization was also highlighted in the data. Problems such as the low number of language courses offered outside the main campus and the low language proficiency of lecturers at the university were also mentioned. The discussion of data leads to some suggestions to approach these problems, including Internationalization at Home (IaH) strategies and reallocation of resources for L2 offer, in order to deal with misconceptions still associated with internationalization.

Keywords

• Internationalisation. Foreign languages
• Language policies
• Students’ perceptions