Managers’ Conceptions about Course Satisfaction and University Adaptation for Mathematics Students

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the conceptions of managers about the satisfaction with the course and the academic adaptation to the university context of Mathematics course students. Ten Mathematics course managers participated, six from public and four private universities in the metropolitan region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. An individual interview was conducted with 12 open questions on course satisfaction and university adaptation. For data analysis, the Iramuteq software was used. A total of 285 text segments were analyzed. From the Descending Hierarchical Classification 77.9% (222 units) of the analyzed texts were retained. The data obtained suggested four classes (Academic Orientation, Ignorance of Mathematics, Conditions of Study, and Adherence to the Course) composing the theme Conceptions of Managers. The research contributes to a better elucidation of how Mathematics course managers think regarding the different aspects of the academic environment, thus expanding the discussions about new politics in higher education institutions that can minimize the difficulties encountered by students in this context.

Keywords:
Conceptions; Managers; College Students; Mathematics; Iramuteq