A permanência do estudante não tradicional da Universidade Federal da Bahia

Abstract

The expansion of higher education in Brazil, previously restricted to a privileged group of students with entrance at the appropriate age, financed by family members, with the availability of time to dedicate themselves to studies and with good intellectual and school education, enabled the access of more heterogeneous groups, composed of adults, workers, members of low-income families, etc. In the Federal Institutions of Higher Education (IFES), historically more elitized, the nontraditional student (ENT), despite the various limitations, is no longer minority, but many are unable to remain until the conclusion of the course. In this sense, it is important to identify the profile of the nontraditional student at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and the factors that influence their permanence, aiming to bring the discussion to university management in order to qualify the service of these students, especially when the scarcity of resources is increasing. As a methodological procedure, exploratory research with a sample survey carried out in two stages with 76 undergraduate students at UFBA was used. Two questionnaires were used, the first to identify the nontraditional student and his main characteristics, and the second, to assess permanence. The answers obtained were subjected to statistical analysis and the data reveal that nontraditional students at UFBA are mainly women, browns and blacks, workers, financially independent, coming from a public school, studying during the day, they are over 25 years old, per capita family income of up to 1.5 minimum wages, their parents did not participate in higher education, they are probably the first of their families at university, and their greatest difficulty in entering higher education was to reconcile work with studies. The cluster analysis made it possible to identify that the student's permanence in the institution is a function mainly of convictions prior to entering the course, and of the current motivations, the degree of satisfaction with the chosen course demonstrates the student's desire to continue enrolled in the course. Participation in academic and student assistance programs was less important for the nontraditional student, even considering the various factors of a personal, socio-cultural and economic nature that hinder their permanence. Thus, it is possible to perceive that the permanence of the nontraditional student at UFBA is related to their economic and social origin, but it may have a lesser weight if the reception at the university is greater. Considering the importance for IFES to seek means for the permanence of their students, both Questionnaire 1 designed to survey the characteristics of the nontraditional student at UFBA, as well as the typology of nontraditional student and the factors that influence their permanence, can assist in the choices of the policies and programs adopted to make this student stay and complete the course. Thus, through the proposed taxonomy, some policies and actions adopted at UFBA can be focused on the nontraditional student, in order to allow a higher qualification in attending this type of student, seeking to overcome obstacles that the scarcity of resources imposes, including encouraging the support of this nontraditional students by members of the academic community through voluntary work. It is necessary to discuss solutions with the same care as those who do volunteer work, after all the university are us