Over a year ago, in September 2021, Dr. Sara Elvira Galbán Lozano and Dr. Ligia García Béjar, both from the Schools of Education at UP’s Mexico City and Guadalajara campuses, respectively, met to conduct joint research.
After discussing their specific areas of research within the fields of pedagogy and communication, they concluded that they shared a common interest in the professional development of researchers throughout their careers.
This interest, driven by personal and professional questions, was well received within the research ecosystem that Universidad Panamericana working to build more intentionally since 2015.
The initial approach
To offer an initial approach to the topic, the researchers decided to focus on UP professors who are also doctoral students and to document their experiences during this formative process, as well as to identify their current and future motivations.
To achieve this, they informed the Vice Rector for Research and the campus Vice Rector of their interest in conducting this research, which was met with enthusiasm and all necessary support.
Once the list of professors from the three campuses who were pursuing their doctorates was available, the researchers designed a questionnaire covering demographic and professional information. They then decided to interview 18 of the 71 participants to gather more information about the training process.
Intentions and career path
Based on the analysis of this information, the researchers began preparing two research articles, the first of which aimed to describe the intentions, experiences, and potential related to these professors’ decision to pursue a doctorate. This article has already been published, and the full text can be found at https://doi.org/10.28945/5028
The second article, which focuses more on examining the academic trajectories of doctoral students and is still under review, traces the diverse backgrounds of professors and the decisions they made on their path to becoming research professors. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges that university administrators face when it comes to training faculty members with academic potential.
Findings and new research
Based on the research conducted to prepare these articles and thanks to the results obtained, Dr. Galbán and Dr. García have identified a largely unexplored area of research: the study of the academic trajectories of researchers at private Mexican universities. This is because virtually no research exists on this subject, and the research conducted to date has focused on public institutions.
A second phase of the research is already underway, and the study participants include researchers from the three UP campuses who are professors accredited by Mexico’s National Researcher System (SNI), are classified within the UP’s faculty ranking system, and have a track record of scientific output.
The researchers are currently in the process of collecting demographic and professional data, with the intention of proceeding to an interview phase and then finalizing their scientific findings, confident in the wealth of knowledge they can generate in this specific area of research.
Dr. Galbán and Dr. García are grateful for the support they received from the Office of the Vice Rector for Research, from both campuses, and from the doctoral students and researchers who shared information and participated in this research project, which is expected to yield significant results in the short, medium, and long term.
About the researchers
Dr. Sara Elvira Galbán Lozano, School of Education, Mexico City campus
Dr. Ligia García Béjar, School of Education, Guadalajara Campus
