Perceptions about the academic career at UNSJ: an institutional survey about science, teaching and university extension functions

Abstract

This paper analyzes the results of a comprehensive survey conducted among teachers at the National University of San Juan (UNSJ) to find out their opinions on their academic trajectories and professional performances. The questionnaire was applied using the Limesurvey computer system and was answered by a total of 469 people with teaching positions at the institution. The survey sought to (re)cognize teachers' self-perceptions regarding their participation in the different mission functions of the University: teaching, research and extension. 

Through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the dimensions of the survey have tended to group into 3 main factors: type of position and dedication (factor 1); academic training and disciplinary self-assignment (factor 2); articulation with research and extension functions (factor 3). These factors explain, to a large extent, the variability of academic profiles observed, which range from pure teachers, dedicated almost exclusively to teaching tasks, to those who present a more scientific-internationalized orientation or more territorialized via extension. The results allow, precisely, to compare the importance that teachers give to each of the missionary functions of the University and the motivations that lead them to their development within the institution.