Abstract
ABSTRACT Rawls' Justice Theory establishes that a fair society must allow less advantaged people to have access to the benefits of social cooperation. In this line of thought, the affirmative actions established by Law 12,711/2012 aim at promoting inclusive education in Higher Education. Evaluating the performance of affirmative actions, specifically their impact on the dropout level, has been a theme of debate in scientific literature. Besides representing a personal frustration, dropout is associated with significant academic, social, and economic losses. In this context, this research aims at analyzing whether the adoption of affirmative actions, as established by Law 12,711/2012, affects the dropout rates of students in Accounting Sciences and other courses in the Business field. The study was conducted through documentary research in a Brazilian public Higher Education institution (HEI). The results of binomial analysis showed that out of the 2,418 students who entered in the first semester of 2013, 520 (22%) dropped out from university until the end of the first semester of 2014. It was found that the dropout rate among entrants in the Business field, either through broad competition or using the system of quotas, was 29%. In the course of Accounting Sciences, the dropout rate among entrants admitted through broad competition was 25% and using the system of quotas it was 23%. Contrary to other investigations, this study found that there is no statistical difference between the dropout rates among entrants in the Business and Accounting Sciences fields through broad competition and quotas, suggesting that affirmative actions do not affect significantly the dropout rates.
Highlights
For some time the social struggles and their respective achievements are observed in the Brazilian daily life, among which one stands out in the educational environment, i.e. the allocation of 50% of the vacancies provided by federal institutions of Higher Education (FIHEs) and of High School technical education to certain social classes, such as Afro-descendants and hyposufficient individuals
“ some universities with more prestige adopt affirmative action programs, they seem to embrace more enthusiastically the inclusion goals” (p. 321). Another argument used to criticize the adoption of quotas and/or affirmative action refers to the potential increase of dropout rates among students who entered through the system of quotas, something which could negatively impact the system itself (Velloso, 2009) and in Higher Education quality
Cunha et al (2015) analyzed dropout among undergraduate students in the courses of Business Administration and Accounting Sciences in the Brazilian Higher Education institution (HEI) between 2001 and 2010 through data provided by the Brazilian National Institute of Educational Research and Study “Anísio Teixeira” (INEP) in 2012, in order to check the profile of dropout and completion of the courses concerned
Summary
For some time the social struggles and their respective achievements are observed in the Brazilian daily life, among which one stands out in the educational environment, i.e. the allocation of 50% of the vacancies provided by federal institutions of Higher Education (FIHEs) and of High School technical education to certain social classes, such as Afro-descendants and hyposufficient individuals. With the enactment of Law 12,711/2012, the system of quotas was standardized and it was adopted on a mandatory basis in all FIHEs and High School technical education institutions These policies seek ways to promote equality for certain disadvantaged social groups (Guarnieri, 2008), affirmative actions and social programs of quotas in the federal universities still remain as a controversial issue. Another argument used to criticize the adoption of quotas and/or affirmative action refers to the potential increase of dropout rates among students who entered through the system of quotas, something which could negatively impact the system itself (Velloso, 2009) and in Higher Education quality This argument needs to be investigated, because dropout rates in public and private institutions are associated with considerable social, academic, and economic losses. Through the data and notes provided by this research, we hope to contribute to the development of public policies for inclusive education, demonstrating whether the affirmative actions adopted especially those concerning social quotas, are related to the permanence of students and the completion of their respective courses
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