Evasão nos cursos de Licenciatura em Física e Química da Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Campus de Arapiraca

Abstract

Dropout is a complex phenomenon with negative impacts in various scenarios, be they educational, economic or social. This problem in the field of teacher training is more intense. Understanding the reasons that lead to dropout is a way to develop strategies to combat the phenomenon. It is necessary to propose public policies and interventions that can minimize these rates. When this phenomenon is mentioned in relation to undergraduate programs nationwide, Physics and Chemistry courses stand out. In light of this problem, this research aims to contribute in a focused and direct way to addressing it. Given this context, this work focuses on the Federal University of Alagoas (Ufal) and its teacher training courses in the areas of Physics and Chemistry on the Arapiraca campus, in the agreste region of Alagoas. With the general objective of analyzing the factors that influence the dropout rate of students in the undergraduate courses in Physics and Chemistry at Ufal – Arapiraca Campus, identifying social, individual and institutional dimensions, in order to propose institutional strategies and public policies that contribute to reducing dropout rates. To this end, we used Vincent Tinto's sociology as theoretical support. The specific objectives of this research are: i) to identify the reasons for dropout in undergraduate courses in Chemistry and Physics; ii) to measure the reasons and causes of dropout in dimensions, with the purpose of investigating their similarities and differences; and iii) to investigate the processes from a sociological perspective in decision making that influence the dropout process, based on the model proposed by Tinto (2015). The first phase of this study was a theoretical support, based on literature reviews that were carried out at the beginning of this research, which dealt with evasion in the area of natural sciences, together with a sociological support that addresses social vulnerability and the model of belonging. The second phase of this work is of a qualitative nature, with the questionnaire answered virtually by dropout students as the main source of data. We emphasize that the ethical terms of the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) were strictly followed. The analytical procedure was based on content analysis based on Bardin (2020). The results indicate that social vulnerability, aspects related to universities (Institutional) and individual aspects are the main dimensions of this dropout phenomenon. Although the study considered the pandemic period, the data show that the pandemic did not have a considerable influence on the decision not to continue in the courses. As a general conclusion, the study makes clear the main reasons for both courses, which are: lack of income, course schedule, work, teaching, academic difficulties and lack of identification with the course. Other actions presented in this study include suggestions for implementing scholarships, greater university-student interaction, and internal institutional policies that have the potential to minimize these indicators. Another fact is that future research can be carried out with the aim of discovering whether there are relationships between dropout and other factors, for example, phenotypes, gender, sexism, etc.