The importance of permanence measures for the performance of quota students in Brazilian federal higher education

Abstract

The existence of diversified higher education systems, spread across countries, does not imply that everyone has access and success. This paper deals with the difference in the performance of students in-person courses who accessed higher education through a quota system and participated in permanence measures. Based on data from the National Student Performance Exam (Enade) in 2017, 2018, and 2019 for 66,525 quota students from all federal higher education institutions (HEIs) in Brazil, we conclude that the interconnection between access and permanence policies in higher education is necessary and effectively contributes to improving the performance of quota students. The literature had already demonstrated the effectiveness of the effect of support for students. Now, in addition, this research leads to the conclusion that, among the students who benefit from the quota mechanism, there are differences in performance between those who benefit from permanence actions and the others, which is new in this research. In addition to reducing dropout rates, these measures also support educational success. The results show that students who have an interconnection between quotas and at least one permanence measure perform better compared to quota students who do not receive these measures. This difference in their academic classification of 2.3 points from the general education grade, which represents an increase of 4.57 %. The results are positive when analysed separately for improving all grades in the case of academic scholarship distribution measures (internship scholarship, scientific initiation scholarship, extension scholarship, and mentoring/tutoring). Using a methodology such as propensity score matching, which is often used in studies of this nature, it can also be concluded that in order to improve the performance of quota students, there is a need for broader public support, a review of financial scholarships and effective coverage of pedagogical and psychological aspects.