Abstract
This work is part of a case study of an institution in which the students had a strong sense of belonging and membership, which was reflected the low dropout rates. The course in question was the degree in chemistry of Instituto de Química (Institute of Chemistry), henceforth referred to as the IQ, of Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) in Araraquara, in the State of São Paulo. We analyzed the school and academic histories of the twenty-seven students majoring in chemistry, in relation to social and academic integration, based on Vincent Tinto’s Student Integration Model (SIM). We also used the concept of habitus, originally presented by Pierre Bourdieu and revised by Bernard Lahire, in order to understand these integrations and qualitatively explain the low dropout rates, which were analyzed quantitatively. We adopted the methodology of sociological portraits, also proposed by Lahire, to analyze the interviews with the undergraduate students and their views in relation to these aspects. The portraits produced show a prevalence of educational histories that combined social and academic integration, favored by a “fit” of the previous habitus, which were updated or enhanced in the university. By focusing on a specific institution, we saw that the conditions offered by the university, which implicitly or explicitly promote the updating of various habitus in the graduate students, and which are favorable for their social and academic integration, are fundamental for explaining the low dropout rates. This fact makes this course unique, particularly due to the ways it creates ties with its students.
Dropout rate; Chemistry degree; Habitus; Social integration; Academic integration
