Equity in the access to and permanence of higher education: the role of Mathematics Education on affirmative actions addressed to under-represented students

Author(s)

Guilherme Henrique Gomes da Silva

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Rio Claro. 2016-11-10.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas. Rio Claro
• Defense date: 2016-10-26
• Advisor: Ole Skovsmose

Abstract

This study addresses the possibilities of social and racial inclusion in the Brazilian higher education system, establishing relationships between mathematics education and affirmative action policies. The purpose of this study was to understand how mathematics education contributes to the retention and academic progress of affirmative action students at Brazilian federal universities from Science, Technology, Engineer, and Mathematics (STEM) programs. The research question was the following: “In higher education, for beneficiaries of affirmative action and those who study STEM disciplines, what aspects of mathematics education contribute to their retention and academic success?” Using a qualitative research approach and a case-study methodology, the data were produced in two stages. In the first one, several documental data were organized and systematized in order to elaborate a general framework about the treatment of affirmative action policies in the Brazilian federal universities from the southeast region. In the second stage, semi-structured interviews with faculty, managers and affirmative action students were conducted. These individuals were involved in and enrolled in STEM programs from two Brazilian federal universities. In order to organize and analyze the data, analytical tools of content analysis and the theoretical perspective of critical inquiry, with a deep reading and immersion in the data, were used. This process permitted the attribution of key words and codes as well as the construction of categories and themes. They were compared, in accordance with which more analyses were made, and modified as necessary. The results of this study suggest that affirmative action policies demand broader, and at the same time more profound, theoretical reflection. In addition, they suggest that these policies demand an elaboration of specific educational proposals. Furthermore, this work addresses some possibilities for the engagement of mathematics education on the dimensions of access to and permanence of affirmative actions, emphasizing important elements for the retention and academic progress of affirmative action students from STEM programs. Moreover, this study indicates the existence of aspects relevant to the promotion and management of affirmative action policies in higher education, which are inserted into a teacher’s everyday practice. These aspects were connected to both pedagogical and non-pedagogical practices, as well as to anxieties and perspectives about the treatment of affirmative action students. Furthermore, this work raises important considerations for mathematics education regarding elements connected with the social and academic integration of affirmative action students and their strategies for and academic difficulties with mathematics learning. In addition, even though special rights were legitimated through affirmative actions in Brazil, this research brings strong evidence that, generally, affirmative action students continue living with structural violence throughout their university course. This fact can directly influence their permanence and academic progress in the university, as well as contribute to the creation of negative feelings about their lives. This matter, which is in addition to pedagogical concerns, is connected with material survival issues on campus, as well as with microaggressions experienced by these students every day in both social and academic environments. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/05584-3 - Equity in access to higher education: the role of Mathematics Education in face of affirmative actions for underrepresented groups
• Grantee: Guilherme Henrique Gomes da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate