Retenção discente em cursos de graduação: estudo de caso no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará (IFCE)

Abstract

This study aimed to describe student profile in the context of retention in the undergraduate courses of the Federal Institute of Ceará (IFCE) and, thus, to propose institutional strategies that contribute to the mitigation of the incidence of students retained in those courses. Based on the main explanatory models of student dropout (SPADY, 1971; TINTO, 1997; BEAN; MITZNER, 1985) and the national studies developed focused on the specific theme of student retention (PEREIRA, 2013; MORAES, 2015), the current study, classified as descriptive, quantitative and qualitative, enrolled 168 participants (69.13% of the total), which constituted the simple probabilistic sample analyzed in this research. For the implementation of the study, field research was adopted as technique, in which an electronic questionnaire was applied. Through the sociodemographic data analysis, it was inferred that most of the students considered retained come from vulnerable parts of the society, indicating a certain profile: family income between less than 1 and 2 minimum wages, quota students, age between 20 and 24 years old, male gender, among other characteristics. The overall analysis of the factors that influenced the prolonged permanence of students in their higher education courses indicated a greater relevance concerning “the need to work while attending the course” that is inserted in the conceptual variable financial conditions, thus reaching the highest average influence among the factors analyzed for the constitution of student retention. From this factor considered of greater relevance, the other factors of influence come along composing the scenario of retention, such as difficulties to reconcile the schedule of disciplines and work, difficulties to dedicate to the studies; course offered at an incompatible time, among others. Among the paths pointed out to face the student retention, we highlight suggestions of interventions oriented to five strategic areas: student-worker, academic and vocational orientation, teaching and learning, student mental health and curricular aspects.