Abstract

SOUSA, Luís Nuno. Contexts of democratization of access to higher education: a sociological approach to the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu. Sociologia [online]. 2021, vol.42, pp.43-60.  Epub Feb 20, 2022. ISSN 0872-3419.  https://doi.org/10.21747/08723419/soc42a3.

The institution of polytechnic education in Portugal allowed an effective democratization of access to higher education. However, this process took time to implement and was not free from persistent dichotomies with its similar university system. It unquestionable that, the institution of the binary higher education system, allowed a redistribution of the regional offer and the possibility of socioeconomically disadvantaged sectors of society access to higher education, contributing to mitigate geographic, social and economic dichotomies. In this reflection, we intend to address the specific case of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, as the first institution of this teaching subsystem to be implemented at national level. We start from data obtained in investigations that took place between 2006 and 2020, seeking, in a longitudinal perspective, verify changes in the social profiles of its students, their motivations in accessing education and professional’s expectations after obtaining a graduate degree. The results show an increase in the representation of the finalists from the lower classes and a decrease from the middle class, the persistence of a regional demand for higher education and the existence of high expectations about the importance of a diploma in their professional future.

Keywords : Polytechnic education; Social classes; Access motivations; Professional expectations..

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