Students with socioeconomic disadvantages in higher education (2000-2020): scientific challenges in knowledge production and affirmative action policies

• Grant number: 22/02947-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Initial Project
• Start date: February 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education
• Principal Investigator: Wilson Mesquita de Almeida
• Grantee: Wilson Mesquita de Almeida
• Host Institution: Centro de Engenharia, Modelagem e Ciências Sociais Aplicadas (CECS). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Diego Sanches Corrêa ; Edison Ricardo Emiliano Bertoncelo ; Paulo Sérgio da Costa Neves ; Rosana Rodrigues Heringer
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/07782-1 - Mapping of Inclusion Policies in Higher Education - English Language"., BP.IC; 24/18126-5 - Preparation, Production and Editing of Videos for Social Media Channel., BP.TT; 24/02820-0 - Students with Socioeconomic Disadvantages in Higher Education (2000-2020): scientific challenges in knowledge production and affirmative action policies., BP.TT; + associated scholarships 24/04075-0 - Students with Socioeconomic Disadvantages in Higher Education (2000-2020): scientific challenges in knowledge production and affirmative action policies., BP.IC; 24/04878-5 - Mapping of Inclusion Policies in Higher Education - English Language"., BP.IC; 24/06073-4 - Students with Socioeconomic Disadvantages in Higher Education (2000-2020): scientific challenges in knowledge production and affirmative action policies., BP.TT - associated scholarships

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies on access and student support of low-income groups in Brazilian college education. Internationally, British and French studies indicate that more research has been made on school pathways of working class students. On the one hand, the expansion of this research agenda implies gains for the academic field. However, without a critical review that leads to the organization of extant material in methodological, theoretical, and empirical terms, scholars cannot produce deeper analyses on decisive topics of this research object. Therefore, our investigation seeks to identify the scientific challenges - methodological, conceptual, and empirical - affecting studies and policies targeting socially disadvantaged college students. Our goal is to make an effort of assessment and systematization, through a critical review of the most relevant research developed in this field - both Brazilian and international - and to identify the most important findings, gaps to be filled, and new paths to be taken. We will invest in comparative analysis of the French, British, and Brazilian contexts. We argue that this effort of methodological systematization of the field, both here and abroad, will contribute to increase the consistence and interpretative reach of further research, leading to scientific progress in the area. (AU)