Published

2020-01-01

Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs

Profesionales de la educación como facilitadores de programas de Study Abroad en España: necesidades formativas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v22n1.75772

Keywords:

Academic teaching personnel, intercultural education, study abroad, teacher education (en)
educación del profesorado, educación intercultural, personal académico educador, study abroad (es)

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This paper investigates an aspect of study abroad programs that has rarely been studied before: the training needs of local education professionals in Spain. Through a mixed-method, using a questionnaire completed by 103 participants, and interviews with 15 of them, we focus on their previous formal specific training and their perspective on the group of students they work with. Results show that most of them have rarely been trained on how to work as cultural facilitators for students from the US. This fact often creates a cultural gap and prevents the teachers from fulfilling their role as cultural bridges for students. Specific action needs to be taken in order to solve this lack of preparation in this group of professionals.
Este artículo trata un aspecto de los programas de study abroad poco investigado hasta ahora: las necesidades formativas de los profesionales del sector en España. Utilizando una metodologia mixta, a través de un cuestionario completado por 103 participantes y entrevistas realizadas a 15 de ellos, nos fijamos en su formación formal específica previa y en su perspectiva sobre el colectivo de estudiantes con los que trabajan. Los resultados demuestran que la mayoría de los docentes no han sido formados específicamente sobre cómo trabajar como facilitadores culturales con alumnos estadounidenses. Esta falta de formación produce a menudo un vacío cultural y no les permite llevar a cabo su función de puentes culturales. Se hace necesario establecer una actuación específica para solventar esa ausencia de preparación en este grupo de profesionales.

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How to Cite

APA

Herencia Grillo, A. & Hernández de la Torre, E. (2020). Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 22(1), 57–73. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v22n1.75772

ACM

[1]
Herencia Grillo, A. and Hernández de la Torre, E. 2020. Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development. 22, 1 (Jan. 2020), 57–73. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v22n1.75772.

ACS

(1)
Herencia Grillo, A.; Hernández de la Torre, E. Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs. Profile: Issues Teach. Prof. Dev. 2020, 22, 57-73.

ABNT

HERENCIA GRILLO, A.; HERNÁNDEZ DE LA TORRE, E. Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, [S. l.], v. 22, n. 1, p. 57–73, 2020. DOI: 10.15446/profile.v22n1.75772. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/75772. Acesso em: 20 mar. 2026.

Chicago

Herencia Grillo, Amalia, and Elena Hernández de la Torre. 2020. “Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs”. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development 22 (1):57-73. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v22n1.75772.

Harvard

Herencia Grillo, A. and Hernández de la Torre, E. (2020) “Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs”, Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 22(1), pp. 57–73. doi: 10.15446/profile.v22n1.75772.

IEEE

[1]
A. Herencia Grillo and E. Hernández de la Torre, “Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs”, Profile: Issues Teach. Prof. Dev., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 57–73, Jan. 2020.

MLA

Herencia Grillo, A., and E. Hernández de la Torre. “Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs”. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, vol. 22, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 57-73, doi:10.15446/profile.v22n1.75772.

Turabian

Herencia Grillo, Amalia, and Elena Hernández de la Torre. “Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs”. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development 22, no. 1 (January 1, 2020): 57–73. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/75772.

Vancouver

1.
Herencia Grillo A, Hernández de la Torre E. Education Professionals as Facilitators of Study Abroad Programs in Spain: Formal Training Needs. Profile: Issues Teach. Prof. Dev. [Internet]. 2020 Jan. 1 [cited 2026 Mar. 20];22(1):57-73. Available from: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/75772

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