Os processos de integração e afiliação universitária de estudantes do Bacharelado Interdisciplinar em Ciência e Economia

Abstract

The present work consists of a study about the processes of students integration and university affiliation in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science and Economics (BICE) of Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL –MG). The debate on university integration and affiliation is of fundamental importance to understanding the processes which are favorable to the students permanence in the university. By understanding the factors that lead the student to become a member and stay in the institution, it is possible to work with the objective of facilitating the integration and affiliation with the university environment, favoring pleasure, well-being and reducing the suffering experienced by the student in this process. Suffering might trigger absenteeism, anxiety, repetition, depression, chemical dependence, melancholy, phobias, isolation and at last, evasion. Higher education expansion policies implemented since the REUNI and which led to the creation of interdisciplinary bachelor degrees, have faced the problem on how to favor the students permanence in the institution. The evasion of students that are unable to continue in the university is a costly result, both on a human and socioeconomic level. The main objective of the work was to understand the reflex of university integration and affiliation factors in the BICE students permanence, those who entered the university in the second semester of 2015 (2015/2) and in the first semester of 2016 (2016/1). Identifying the factors that influence the students permanence in the course and in the institution and the institutional characteristics that favor the integration and affiliation of students and also verifying if the urban and cultural factors influence the integration process, affiliation and consequently, the students permanence in the university are the specific objectives of this work. It was possible to develop the categories of analysis and assemble the conceptual map of analysis and data collection, with the contribution of several scholars, principally Tinto (2012) with the Theory of Student Integration and Coulon (2008) with the university affiliation. The qualitative and descriptive documental and empirical investigation occurred by means of institutional data and a questionnaire applied with the research subjects showed that the results corroborated with the theories of Tinto and Coulon: the reflex of integration and affiliation factors of students at BICE from classes of 2015/2 and 2016/1 is demonstrated in a multifactorial way. 19 out of 35 factors were considered by the students to be very and extremely supportive to staying at BICE. Social factors were considered the most influential in students permanence. We found among of students´ claims, a greater attention from the institution to freshmen and not just to BICE freshmen, but also to freshmen from the specific courses in the institution. This students’ request is on presenting guidelines about institutional norms, rules and codes and also about the compulsory and optional subjects. Finally, we concluded that the urban factors are favorable to students permanence at BICE. The cultural aspects were pointed out as indifferent to very little favoring to their permanence.