Abstract:

When we refer to motivation we allude to the factor or set of factors that make someone move to take action. Scheler (2000) affirms that human beings are guided in their essence and their doings by values. We could therefore say that university lecturers’ motivations, the reasons why and the purposes for which they do things, are determined by their values. So, an exploration of the motivations of those lecturers who imbue their teaching methodologies with an Education for the Development of Global Citizenship Approach will enable us to gain insight into the values that underpin said methodologies and, thus, reveal whether or not they are consistent with the principles and values that define Education for the Development of Global Citizenship itself.

The research work presented here forms part of a broader study that aims to study and identify the reality of those teaching practices developed by undergraduate lecturers in Spanish universities that can be differentiated from other methodologies because of their Education for the Development of Global Citizenship approach.

This research uses a qualitative, exploratory, applied case study model with a view to establishing a diagnosis. The subject-matter studied is that of meaningful discourse, using an interpretative paradigm, in the psycho-social field following systemic theory. The research proposal is based on programme theory, which makes it possible to compare reality with a theoretical proposal, thereby confirming, reviewing or discarding the initial conceptual framework (Ligero, 2011).

The fieldwork has been carried out by means of semi-structured interviews (primary sources) and data analysis (secondary sources). A total of thirteen lecturers from ten Spanish universities were interviewed.
Research results obtained include motivations related to the person themselves, to the university institution and to the context. Our results have enabled us to identify and analyse characteristics that define the lecturers’ profile.

Keywords:

Education for the Development of Global Citizenship Approach, teaching methodology, university.