PURPOSE
The INKEY survey was designed to explore the barriers and enabling factors influencing students’ participation in Erasmus+ traineeship mobility, with particular attention to students with fewer opportunities. Specifically, the questionnaire collected information on participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, previous mobility experiences, perceived economic, administrative, social and institutional barriers, and perceptions of the accessibility of Erasmus+ traineeships.
PARTICIPANTS
- A total of 354 students completed the questionnaire.
- Participants had a mean age of 25.95 years (SD = 6.13), indicating a relatively young sample, although with representation from different stages of higher education.
- Most respondents were recruited in Italy (34.2%), followed by Spain (20.1%) and France (17.5%). The remaining participants came from a wide range of European and non-European countries, reflecting the international scope of the survey.
- 54.1% of the student identified as having fewer opportunities
RESULTS
Across all dimensions, economic barriers clearly emerged as the most salient obstacle to participation in Erasmus+ traineeships. Financial uncertainty – particularly regarding the availability of additional funding and the need to cover expenses in advance and travel costs – received the highest levels of agreement among respondents. Administrative barriers represented the second most important dimension, highlighting the need for clearer information and simpler application procedures.
By contrast, psychological, host institution, sociocultural and digital barriers were generally perceived as less influential. Although some respondents expressed concerns about stress, discrimination or the academic relevance of placements, these issues received substantially lower mean scores than the financial and administrative dimensions. Overall, these preliminary findings suggest that improving financial support mechanisms and institutional guidance may have the greatest potential to increase participation in Erasmus+ traineeships among students with fewer opportunities.