







































Education, Language and Sociology Research 
ISSN 2690-3644 (Print) ISSN 2690-3652 (Online) 

Vol. 2, No. 3, 2021 
www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/elsr 

Original Paper 

Faculty Perspectives on Research Collaborations between the 

U.S. and Mexico 

Hilda Cecilia Contreras Aguirre1* & Elsa Gonzalez2 
1 Department of Educational Leadership and Administration, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, 

New Mexico, USA 
2 Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 

USA 
* Hilda Cecilia Contreras Aguirre, Department of Educational Leadership and Administration, New 

Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA 

 

Received: June 30, 2021         Accepted: July 15, 2021        Online Published: July 29, 2021 

doi:10.22158/elsr.v2n3p63            URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/elsr.v2n3p63 

 

Abstract 

The transfer of knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) across 

countries is a common practice in academia, which is both timely and useful to achieve research 

collaborations. Through a qualitative research approach, using interviews and observations, five 

STEM Mexican professors shared their experiences and expectations in leading the research 

collaborations where professors and students participated. This qualitative inquiry utilized Sargent and 

Water’s (2004) academic research collaborations framework, which highlights the interactive phases 

for achieving successful collaborations. The findings revealed that: 1) institutional support through 

department chairs’ encouragement along with professors’ leadership to expand research 

collaborations in both countries are favorable and 2) more resources to fund students’ participation in 

international research collaborations and better climate that help students feel socially included and 

academically integrated to a new setting seem necessary. The article concludes with perspectives and 

implications for strengthening the research exchanges between the United States (U.S.) and Mexico. 

Among them, highlighting the positive impact that international research collaborations have for 

universities in both countries, the need to expand the funding for students’ mobility overseas, and the 

improvement of English language training to strengthen students’ connections, and, consequently, 

collaboration. 

Keywords 

research, international collaborations, higher education, STEM, United States, Mexico 

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1. Introduction 

Over the last two decades, institutions of higher education have experienced an expansion in terms of 

capacity, extension, and, consequently, complexity (Altbach & Knight, 2007; McGrath, 2017). In effect, 

such complexity is the result of demographic changes, immigration patterns, international competitions, 

and demands for higher skills in the workforce (McGrath, 2017; Stewart, 2012). Furthermore, multiple 

are the challenges faced by postsecondary institutions, including 1) an increasing perception of students 

as merchandise and universities as businesses, placing in perilous conditions the generation of 

knowledge and the citizen role of students in society (Altbach, 2015), and 2) an imperative need to be 

able to adapt to change, create collaborations at different levels, and engage in personal and 

professional development that allows dealing with campuses diversity (Parker & Kingori, 2016; Schuh, 

Jones, Harper, & Associates, 2011).  

The transformation of postsecondary institutions aligns with the globalization of a new era in the 

STEM leadership, which through internationalization, institutions deem necessary to carry out 

institutional agreements, cross-border activities, and alliances at an international scale (Cantwell & 

Maldonado-Maldonado, 2009). Consistently, the role of STEM faculty in working cooperatively 

overtakes individualistic approaches to generate knowledge (Beaver, 2001). As such, the importance of 

science for higher education goes beyond individual purposes; the development of science must be 

advantageous and beneficial for society as well (McFarlane, 2013). Likewise, the engineering 

profession is crucial for every country to gain visibility as a global power and improve the well-being 

of its citizens (Mohanty & Dash, 2016). Altogether, STEM fields in the United States (U.S.) face major 

concerns related to reduce the academic achievement gap among ethnic groups, enhance U.S. students’ 

academic performance in international rankings, and lessen the differences in foreign students’ college 

graduation rates compared to U.S. students (Gonzalez & Kuenzi, 2012). According to Watkins and 

Mazur (2013), in STEM fields, students should learn not only technical but also analytical skills, such 

as communication and teamwork. Similarly, professors should instill in students a sense of curiosity 

and an interest in innovation and creativity (Carter, Beachner, & Dauguerty, 2015; Roberts, 2013).  

Besides, Altbach (2015) highlighted how “higher education has a central role for nations and societies 

that goes beyond science” (p. 3). This means that the exchange of knowledge must be significant for 

those sharing it and help in achieving equity in society. Knowledge sharing is increasingly taking place 

among higher education institutions at the international level (Carayannis & Laget, 2004; 

Lancho-Barrantes & Cantu-Ortiz, 2019) and especially in STEM disciplines (Landry, Amara, & Ouimet, 

2007; Lee & Bozeman, 2005), where students and professors can work together on theoretical models 

and practical problems. According to Bozeman, Fay, and Slade (2013), research collaboration goes 

beyond co-authorship. The exchange of knowledge involves a “social process whereby human beings 

pool their human capital for the objective of producing knowledge” (p. 3). As such, the participation of 

students in international research projects expands their knowledge and network, where usually 

“sharing problem understandings and successful solutions” (Withycombe Keeler et al., 2016, p. 749) 
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are addressed. Also, Chang and Huang (2016) pointed out the importance of geographic closeness and 

cultural empathy for carrying out effective research collaborations in which professors and students can 

develop strong bonds. In this regard, Maldonado-Maldonado and Cantwell (2008) noted how academic 

collaboration between two borderland institutions, one from Mexico and one from the U.S., was framed 

by fears and desires related to history, in which “power, domination, subordination….and the border” 

influence such exchanges (p. 321). Furthermore, Melin (2000) highlighted that by analyzing 

international research exchanges at a micro level, that is at the individual level; individual, personal, 

and social factors play an essential role in data exchange and cooperative work. 

1.1 Brief Overview of Scientific Exchange Approach 

This article addresses the partnership between the U.S. and Mexico for scientific exchange purposes. A 

brief overview of how these two countries deal with knowledge research exchanges at an international 

level follows. In Latin America, in general, and particularly in Mexico, internationalization in 

postsecondary institutions is not a common practice even when institutions establish agreements with 

universities abroad (Berry & Taylor, 2014). One of the main obstacles concerns financial issues, 

especially at public institutions whose budgets are tight (Berry & Taylor, 2014; Sabharwal & Varma, 

2015). Berry and Taylor (2014) noted how Mexican institutions utilize different approaches when it 

comes to internationalization. One of universities’ strategies is seeking international partnerships to 

enhance research and sharing knowledge, especially if researchers are part of the Mexican National 

System of Researchers (SNI) and research productivity is closely tracked (Sandoval-Romero & 

Lariviere, 2020). Another strategy could be broadening their scientific collaborations according to the 

thematic studied with countries such as Spain, Canada, and Israel (Lancho-Barrantes & Cantu-Ortiz, 

2019). Increasingly, Mexican postsecondary institutions perceive internationalization as a critical task 

“to compete globally and produce graduates who are well-informed about the world around them” 

(Berry & Taylor, 2014, p. 599). In this sense, Altbach (2015) and Lancho-Barrantes and Cantu-Ortiz 

(2019) indicated the difficulties and setbacks of countries whose postsecondary educational system 

struggles to compete at an international level. As such, Mexican institutions are at a disadvantage 

compared to other countries in which internationalization serves as a top priority. 

Accordingly, the U.S., as an advanced nation in the generation of Science and Engineering (S&E) 

knowledge, produces 50% of the country’s basic research through its higher education institutions 

(National Science Board, 2018) with a highly concentration in universities focusing on research known 

as Doctoral Universities (The Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, 2018). The 

U.S. focuses its research efforts on improving the economy by maintaining competitiveness with highly 

skilled employees (Freeman, 2015). In this regard, U.S. globalization as it pertains to S&E activities 

implies multiple aspects. One of these aspects entails research collaborations between U.S. researchers 

and international colleagues (Freeman, 2015). While the U.S. share the generation of S&E knowledge 

with other nations, the developing world (e.g., China, India, Brazil, and Iran) has begun making 

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important knowledge discoveries and taking a more active role in knowledge generation (National 

Science Board, 2016).  

1.2 Conceptual Framework  

A conceptual model on Academic Research Collaborations frames this study. Sargent and Waters (2004) 

developed a model creating an inductive process to understand successful collaborations. This 

framework is one of the most complete and comprehensive schemes found in the literature review 

including both multiple phases and influential factors (Gertler, 2017); therefore, we examined the 

practices of institutions and faculty as it relates to international research collaborations. According to 

Sargent and Waters (2004), success in research collaborations entails three aspects: First, objective 

goals (publications including journals, professional meetings, and grant proposals). Second, subjective 

goals (satisfaction at a personal and interpersonal level). And third, learning goals (knowledge acquired 

from the collaborative experience and research outcomes). The model highlights the importance of the 

context, the connection among the different collaboration stages, and the contribution of interpersonal 

abilities to collaborate successfully. 

In the first layer, the model introduces the importance of institutional support mainly highlighting the 

role of faculty colleagues, information technology staff, and administrative personnel. In this regard, 

this study examines the critical role that chair departments have on encouraging and supporting 

international research collaborations. In addition, resources referring to funding may affect the type and 

scope of the project. However, other types of resources may encourage participation, such as access to 

specialized equipment, governmental support, and even researchers’ incentives (Gertler, 2017). 

Certainly, the climate concerning the differences among universities in research collaboration 

approaches and professoriate development is also essential to booster collaborations (Sargent & Waters, 

2004). The climate is remarkably different in each selected university, given that they are located in two 

different countries: the U.S. and Mexico.  

The second layer consists of four research collaboration stages. In the first phase, professors’ 

motivations to complement their research with other individuals’ skills, knowledge, and data along with 

the interests in building long-lasting relationships with their colleagues are at the core of this cycle. In a 

second phase, researchers define the project’s budget, scope, technical and logistic aspects as well as 

specific goals. In the third phase, research participants’ roles are specified. In this regard, professors can 

take the role of mentor, advisor, or sponsor when undergraduate and graduate students participate. The 

final stage shows what successful collaboration looks like in terms of meeting publication goals, 

positive relationships, and learning outcomes (Sargent & Waters, 2004).  

At the center of this inductive process, the essence of research collaborations lies in aspects such as 

integrity, trust, and communication. Such elements are vital to achieving a more productive and 

enriching learning environment (Sargent & Waters, 2004). It can be arguable that in international 

research collaborations, aspects such as reflectivity, flexibility, ongoing feedback among research teams, 

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agenda compatibility, and good research practices are of utmost importance (Gertler, 2017; Parker & 

Kingori, 2016).  

 

2. Method 

The paradigm framing this study is naturalistic inquiry. Naturalistic studies contribute greatly to better 

understand the experiences of participants’ multiple realities who play an essential role in the inquiry 

process (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). In this study, participants’ experiences were diverse due to their fields 

of study, workplaces, and research approaches. As such, the aforementioned factors shaped and 

influenced participants’ kinds of experiences. In addition, the absence of similar research inquiries and 

a limited sample of participants framed the exploratory nature of the study. Essentially, Zainal (2007) 

defined an exploratory case study as “set to explore any phenomenon in the data which serves as a 

point of interest to the researcher…and open up the door to further examination of the phenomenon 

observed” (p. 3).  

2.1 Definition and Purpose 

In this article, short research stays are defined as “scientific informal exchanges that are usually three 

months long”. In such research exchanges, professors working at either U.S. or Mexican postsecondary 

institutions advise senior Mexican undergraduate and graduate students while conducting short research 

stays at U.S. universities. After concluding the three-month stay, the students go back to Mexico to 

finish their studies. The objective of this paper is to achieve a better understanding of the transfer of 

knowledge in STEM disciplines between the U.S. and Mexican universities in which Mexican students 

participate. 

In this qualitative inquiry, the authors guided the interviewed faculty through the following research 

questions: 

− What roles do STEM department chairs and faculty professors from U.S. and Mexican 

universities play in the process of research collaborations? 
− What are the expectations of STEM faculty professors from U.S. and Mexican universities 

regarding the participation of Mexican students in research projects?  
2.2 Participants and Settings 
Before defining the purpose of the study and research questions, the authors exchanged information 

with the professors regarding their experiences in achieving international research collaborations. Some 

of the topics discussed along these conversations were related to university policies, time constraints, 

expectations of professors, research interests, and commitment of students. 
The authors used purposeful sampling to select participants to achieve better insights into the 

phenomenon (Patton, 2015). The five STEM professors—working in both countries—were Mexicans 

with expertise in international scientific collaborations with Mexican students. To identify the potential 

participants for the study, the researchers searched for the binational research programs published by 

the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), the Mexican equivalent to 
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the National Science Foundation (NSF). The authors sent 50 emails to professors receiving half 

responses. Some respondents were not retained because they were attached to other disciplines, or they 

had participated indirectly in international research collaborations. The five professors selected met the 

selection criteria and agreed to participate in this study. All five professors had experiences with 

undergraduate and graduate Mexican students participating in at least three-month research projects 

stays (see Table 1 for participants’ demographics). 
All five professors were males, and their first language was Spanish. The professors’ names are 

confidential; hence, the authors identified participants as Professor 1, Professor 2, Professor 3, 

Professor 4, and Professor 5. 
2.3 Data Collection and Analysis 
To collect data, this qualitative inquiry utilized interviews and observations (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; 

Yin, 2009). All participants read and signed a consent form before the commencement of the interviews, 

which allowed them to have enough time to answer questions and clarify doubts. By interviewing 

participants, a researcher takes an active role in the interview process becoming the main instrument 

able to analyze data (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Through a semi-structured interview protocol in Spanish, 

interviews lasted on average 45 minutes. Four participants were interviewed at their home institutions. 

One participant was conducting a short research stay; thus, the interview was conducted at the host 

university. Essentially, presenting information in Spanish provided more meaning and could relate to 

prior personal and/or professional experiences for a Spanish speaking audience. Besides, keeping the 

information in its original language enriched the analysis, especially when considering particular social 

and cultural assets related to participants and research settings (González y González & Lincoln, 2006).  
All five interviews were audio-recorded. The audio records generated transcripts in Spanish. Each 

professor received his interview transcript to validate his responses, as this study used member 

checking to assure trustworthiness. Once the authors had the five transcriptions back, they started the 

analysis as the authors and participants share Spanish as their native language. The authors analyzed 

data using constant comparative techniques. Units of information, defined as “a unit of meaning stands 

for the smallest piece of information about something that can stand by itself” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, 

p. 34) were sorted several times until categories and themes emerged. This study identified 179 units of 

meaning. Furthermore, 3 themes and 15 categories resulted from the data analysis. Because of the 

importance of the research questions, this study included only two themes and four categories. The 

authors defined the names of categories in English and translated the categories’ content. Hence, 

findings included versions in English and Spanish. In this sense, Lincoln and González (2008) argued 

that when conducting research based on cross-cultural/cross-language studies, researchers should 

consider using bilingual information. Therefore, the inclusion of two different languages in one study 

can enrich its understanding and improve research outcomes (González y González & Lincoln, 2006).  
 

 
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2.3.1 Trustworthiness 
To assure the rigor of this study, in addition to conduct observations, the authors used reflexive journals 

and member checking to guarantee the study’s credibility (Erlandson, Harris, Skipper, & Allen, 1993; 

Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The use of reflexive journals allowed the researchers to describe and 

remember aspects of the settings and reflect on the interview content. The authors also documented 

observations of participants’ attitudes and expressions which contributed to enrich the data analysis. 

Furthermore, member checks provided the opportunity to obtain feedback from the participants. By 

reading their answers, participants were able to explore their responses in-depth, make meaning of the 

findings, and propose future directions for the study.  
 

3. Findings 
A set of themes was found as fundamental to understand the perspectives of professors on their research 

experiences. The two themes comprise Institutional Capacity in the Interchangeability of Scientific 

Knowledge and Professors’ Perspectives of Mexican Students and the Educational System. 
3.1 Institutional Capacity in the Interchangeability of Scientific Knowledge 
There is a myriad of individuals, actions, and activities that professors need to consider and carry out to 

achieve successful formal and informal scientific collaborations. STEM professors’ experiences 

concerning the interchangeability of scientific knowledge yield the first research question: What roles do 

STEM department chairs and faculty professors from U.S. and Mexican universities play in the process of 

research collaborations? The contribution of participants allowed the codification of their responses as 

follows: Professors’ leadership and Department chairs’ support. 
3.1.1 Professors’ Leadership 
The work of university professors goes beyond taking the role of instructors and researchers. Currently, 

the increasing engagement in research activities, often in interdisciplinary collaborations, illustrates how 

professors can influence others through their leadership. Such leadership is important at several stages of 

the research collaborations, but it is essential in the first phases of a project, where professors must be 

confident of its scope and positive impact on others (e.g., students and new junior faculty). The more 

experienced professors in research collaborations lead and participate in international professional 

meetings as Professor 1 addressed,   
“These binational conferences were supported by The National Science Foundation (NSF); I 

obtained a couple of grants [...] the purpose is to organize conferences between the U.S. and 

Latin America so that Latin America benefits.” (Estas conferencias binacionales fueron apoyadas 

por NSF, consegui un par de becas [...] el propósito es organizar conferencias entre Estados 

Unidos y Latinoamérica, de manera que Latinoamérica se beneficie.) 
Professor 1’s leadership role has allowed improving the scientific collaboration between the two countries 

and by receiving NFS funding, this professor expands his visibility and credibility to successfully 

collaborate with other colleagues. In addition, the research collaborations are often the result of ongoing 
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interactions involving different university settings and entities, but with a research project interest in 

common. In this regard, Professor 2 and Professor 4 pointed out their leadership by managing engineering 

laboratories. Professor 4 commented,  
“Mainly, we work with air vehicles, with aerial robots, but we also develop terrestrial robots and 

systems of multiple agents, that is, several robots that work together to carry out a task in a more 

efficient way.” (Trabajamos con vehículos aéreos principalmente, con robots aéreos, pero 

también desarrollamos robots terrestres y desarrollamos también sistemas de multiples agentes 

que son varios robots que trabajan en conjunto para realizar una tarea de manera mas eficaz.)  
Professor 4’s quote shows that Engineering professors work in the development of complex technological 

systems. Such complexity provides intellectual stimulation in which the promotion of finding innovative 

ways of addressing situations, the stimulation of intelligent problem solving, and the encouragement of 

appropriate decision making are critical in every research collaboration’s participation. In essence, the 

extent by which professors perceive institutional support in terms of use of laboratory equipment and 

availability of resources in both the host and own institutions can be a motivation to carry out research 

collaborations.  

3.1.2 Department Chairs’ Support 

To accomplish successful research exchanges, either by sending students to other institutions or receiving 

students from other countries, faculty members must be fully supported by institutional authorities. While 

most participants perceived support from their department chairs and deans, their opinions varied: 

“Fortunately, in the institution, both the rector and the director of research innovation of the 

university have the vision to make such partnerships.” (Afortunadamente en la institución tanto 

el rector como el director de innovación de investigación de la universidad tienen la visión de 

hacer este tipo de colaboraciones.)—Professor 2 
“The institute gives us permission and freedom to contact people and try to collaborate at least 

informally, it means without agreements, with other researchers. They give us the endorsement to 

participate with the intention that later it becomes formal.” (El instituto nos da el permiso y la 

libertad de contactar gente y tratar de colaborar al menos informalmente, quiere decir sin 

convenios, con los demás investigadores. Ellos nos dan el aval de participar con la intención de 

que mas adelante se haga formal.)—Professor 3 
“The rector gives you the acceptance and perceives positively research partnerships with other 

universities.” (El rector te da como el acepta y ve de manera positiva a este tipo de relación con 

otras universidades.)—Professor 5 
Professors perceive that high-rank university authorities look at the exchange of scientific knowledge in 

the form of international research collaborations as quite positive. Professors recognized chairs and deans’ 

openness and willingness to expand and improve research activities at their institutions. Nevertheless, 

Professor 3 commented on the closeness of U.S. universities to exchange information or technology due 

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to national security reasons, making it difficult to develop international research collaborations with 

institutions overseas. 

3.2 Professors’ Perspectives of Mexican Students and the Educational System 
Professors’ opinion regarding the preparedness of Mexican students as it relates to their educational 

background and social interactions was controversial. Mainly, due to students’ robust academic 

knowledge which contrasts with their ability to adjust socially in a foreign setting. In this regard, 

professors revealed interesting insights into the unique characteristics of Mexican students who decided to 

participate in research collaborations abroad. The reflection on the personal and professional 

characteristics of Mexican students to meet the expectations and participate in scientific exchanges frames 

the second research question: What are the expectations of STEM faculty professors from U.S. and 

Mexican universities regarding the participation of Mexican students in research projects? To respond to 

this research question, two categories frame this theme: Students’ essential academic skills and Positive 

aspects of Mexican education. 
3.2.1 Students’ Essential Academic Skills 
According to professors’ responses, the technical and theoretical knowledge of Mexican students was 

appropriate to meet the requirements of courses and scientific collaborations with professors and students 

at U.S. universities. Professor 1 pointed out: 
“The technical preparation I do not think is any impediment for Mexican students, but certainly 

the English language is.” (La preparación técnica no creo que sea ningún impedimento para los 

estudiantes Mexicanos, pero ciertamente el idioma lo es.) 
In this sense, both Professors 3 and 5 mentioned: 

“At a technical level, they do not need anything, [...] the level of languages here in Mexico [...] 

we lack a second language.” (A nivel técnico no necesitan nada [...] el nivel de idiomas aquí en 

Mexico [...] adolecemos de un segundo lenguaje.)—Professor 3 
“In first place obviously the language [...] It would be like not the most important but the most 

basic to be functional.” (En primera instancia pues obviamente el idioma [...] Sería como no lo 

más importante pero lo más básico para ser funcional.)—Professor 5  
Professors noted the importance of improving Mexican students’ English language skills to fully and 

successfully participate in such collaborations when the setting is at U.S. universities. The mastering of a 

second language requires more than learning basic vocabulary in classrooms, it needs to be reinforced by 

finding different manners to practice it (e.g., reading books, talking to native speakers, or listening to 

music). Essentially, students need to develop not only basic English skills but also advanced abilities to 

understand complex technical concepts and problems, and especially meaningful interactions with foreign 

students and professors. 

3.2.2 Positive Aspects of Mexican Education 
Mexican higher education has advantageous aspects. All five professors acknowledged one advantage: the 

high academic quality of Mexican universities and research centers, including the Center for Research and 
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Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), the National Autonomous 

University of Mexico (UNAM), the Mathematics Research Center (CIMAT), and the Autonomous 

University of Hidalgo, to mention a few. Some of these institutions have international prestige as they 

have been listed in renowned international rankings. In this subject, Professor 3 expressed: 
“Fortunately, in Mexico for every master’s student who belongs to the national quality 

postgraduate program, there is a scholarship so that they can conduct research stays in Mexico or 

any prestigious institution abroad.” (Afortunadamente en México para cada estudiante de 

maestría que pertenezca al programa nacional de Posgrados de calidad existe una beca para que 

puedan hacer una estancia de investigación en México o en cualquier institución de prestigio del 

extranjero.) 
The benefit of having the financial support of CONACYT, the government agency, is evident for graduate 

Mexican students. Mexican students could take full advantage of this financial support and carry out short 

research collaborations in renowned national institutions or overseas. Altogether, students must prove a 

high intellectual capacity to receive and retain their scholarships.  

 
Table 1. Basic Information of Participants 
Professor Age Major Years of 

professorship 
Years of 

collaboration 
Working 

in the 

U.S. 

Working 

in 

Mexico 

State/ 
Country 

1 66 Mathematics 

and Statistics 
32 30 −   Nevada, 

U.S. 
2 35 Automatic 

Control 
11 3  −  Hidalgo, 

Mexico 
3 45 Electrical 

Engineering 
14 14  −  Coahuila, 

Mexico 
4 36 Technology of 

Information 

and Systems 

3 3 −    
Texas, 
U.S. 

5 31 Electronic 

Engineering 
4 3  −  Durango, 

Mexico 
 

4. Discussion  
All five professors shared similar experiences due to their international research collaborations and 

mentioned common expectations when conducting research projects with Mexican students. Nevertheless, 

professors composed a heterogeneous group in the sense that their geographical locations, level of 

expertise, and field of study differ greatly. The first research question analyzed the leadership and 

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relationship of professors with institutional authorities, in particular, department chairs and directors to 

maintain and increase international research collaborations.  
Consistently, the leadership of department chairs and professors was an important factor in accomplishing 

successful research collaborations. Professors’ leadership helped achieve that the interchangeability of 

scientific knowledge increases. The role that professors exercise as leaders, especially when they lead 

research collaborations, shows their attempt to satisfy higher-level needs of self-esteem and 

self-actualization (Hackman & Johnson, 2013). Furthermore, the favoritism of international publications 

over national journals in Mexico, promote professors’ interest in international collaborations 

(Sandoval-Romero & Lariviere, 2020). As transformational leaders, professors’ interactions with other 

collaborators and influence to attract students’ interests are at the core of the academic research 

collaborations (Hackman & Johnson, 2013; Sargent & Waters, 2004). Likewise other studies, this study’s 

finding revealed that by developing respect, trust, communication, and friendship among collaborators, 

researchers can achieve successful and long-term research collaborations (Gertler, 2017; Parker & Kingori, 

2016; Sargent & Waters, 2004).  
The second research question examined professors’ expectations regarding the participation of Mexican 

students in the research collaborations. Professors addressed both the academic preparedness and 

socio-cultural awareness of Mexican students to perform satisfactorily in U.S. universities and some 

benefits of the Mexican higher educational system. On the one hand, all professors agreed that Mexican 

students who have collaborated in research projects in U.S. universities possess excellent academic skills, 

in fact, similar to their U.S. peers. However, Mexican students struggle with their social integration, as 

well as verbal and written communication skills in English. Students’ shyness and introversion keep them 

away from building meaningful relationships with people from the host institution. Such behavior may be 

a consequence of being abroad and being new to a different culture (Coronado, 2009). On the other hand, 

a remarkable positive aspect of the Mexican higher educational system lies in the financial support 

Mexican graduate students have through scholarships. These scholarships help students focus only on 

their studies and provide the possibility to support short travels to foreign universities to participate in 

research.  
The opportunity to integrate students in international research collaborations expands Sargent and Waters’ 

(2004) framework, whose first layer studies at the institution level, the support, resources, and climate. We 

propose to broaden and integrate other elements to include external factors such as foreign funding and 

outer institutional requirements. Also, individual characteristics can play an important role, including 

participants’ academic and cultural background as well as their level of expertise in research. All the 

aforementioned factors may have a great impact on the achievement of successful research collaborations 

(Contreras Aguirre & Gonzalez, 2021).  
 

 

 
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4.1 Recommendations 

Based on the finding of this study, some suggestions to improve the quantity and quality of international 

research collaborations between the U.S. and Mexico are addressed next:  

1) Highlight the positive impact on universities in both countries. Professors realized that while U.S. 

institutions benefit from the research outcomes where Mexican students participate, Mexican 

universities take advantage of the knowledge Mexican students acquire in U.S. universities. In effect, 

Maldonado-Maldonado and Cantwell (2008) highlighted the lack of symmetry in graduate students 

exchange between the U.S. and Mexico, increasing the differences and power relations of these two 

nations.  
2) More support from federal, state, and institutional funds. Despite professors perceived positively 

the benefit for graduate students of receiving federal scholarships to be part of research collaborations 

abroad, professors also expressed concerns regarding additional financial support to fund binational 

research exchanges for undergraduate Mexican college students. In essence, Mexican post-secondary 

institutions need to align policies and practices; thus, students benefit from federal, state, and 

institutional funds. In this sense, Berry and Taylor’s (2014) study pointed out the importance for 

students in gaining additional competencies when going abroad; however, limited funding is still a 

major barrier in Latin America. 
3) Better English training for Mexican students to participate in international research projects. If 

Mexican students wish to compete with students from other nationalities in an Anglophone setting, 

the need to use better strategies for a second language acquisition becomes critical and imperative. 

For the most part, professors in this study and other scholars (Berry & Taylor, 2014; Chang & Huang, 

2016) argued the necessity to improve students’ English skills because language affinity may 

strengthen individuals’ connections, and, consequently, collaboration. 
 

5. Conclusion 
The exchange of knowledge through research collaborations is a common and increasingly performed 

practice in postsecondary institutions. In performing conjointly research, not only universities seek to 

improve the research performance of professors, but also professors look for developing their skills as 

researchers, mentors, and advisors. In addition, professors noticed that students exposed to other work 

dynamics, scientific approaches, and leadership styles will eventually enrich students’ prior knowledge 

and encourage them to pursue further studies, making a remarkable impact in their professional future. 

Lastly, the willingness of professors to send/bring students from disadvantaged countries comes along 

with a personal and ethical decision. 
 

 

 

 
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	Original Paper
	3.1 Institutional Capacity in the Interchangeability of Scientific Knowledge
	3.2 Professors’ Perspectives of Mexican Students and the Educational System
	Professors’ opinion regarding the preparedness of Mexican students as it relates to their educational background and social interactions was controversial. Mainly, due to students’ robust academic knowledge which contrasts with their ability to adjust...


