01-08-2023
31-07-2029
Europe’s Agendas have shed light on how important it is to invest in young people, providing opportunities for them to achieve a successful development in different domains of their lives. Similarly, the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) by the United Nations Development Programme emphasizes the need to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all, which includes the desire to promote universal access to tertiary education as well. Participation in tertiary education, as widely accepted, plays an essential role in developing young adults’ skills so they contribute fully to society. Therefore, it is critical to promote equal access to it, not leaving behind groups that are traditionally marginalized or under-represented. Over the last decades, higher education has become the target of numerous reforms, which changes can be understood in regard to the goal of governments – and transnational organizations – of framing it as a key provider of knowledge and human capital, under the scope of knowledge society. The remaining question, though, is to which extent such politics and policies have successfully addressed the issue of democratization concerning the tertiary education level. Worldwide, the number of students accessing higher education has grown. Indeed, data regarding the profile of new entrants to higher education suggest that different societal groups, including those historically marginalized, have gained access to a first-degree education, although many inequalities persist among such groups in the different countries. In Portugal, between 2010 and 2019, the number of students in the public higher education system has increased 8,5%. Despite that, many disparities are observed either related to socioeconomic status and regarding geographical origins of the students. Likewise, more than accessing higher education, nontraditional students face extra challenges in remaining in the system. Considering this scenario, this project draws on the yet crescendo level of democratization of the Portuguese higher education system, targeting the understanding of more vulnerable educational trajectories, with a focus on their transition and attainment experiences. Based on a mix methods approach, with a longitudinal perspective, the study shall concentrate on a biographical perspective. It is expected that results inform a framework to reflect upon drivers and barriers of educational transition to tertiary education and allow the development of a toolbox with interesting practices and guiding experiences to ease attainment in the first-degree, with a clear focus on nontraditional groups.
IDEAFor - Identity, Democracy, School, Administration and Training
FCT - Fundação da Ciências e Tecnologia
2022.06800.CEECIND
CIIE / Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto