ABSTRACT.
Psychosocial experiences of quota students are topics of interest to Psychology in the field of affirmative action studies. This research aimed to describe the trajectories of quota students to enter a federal public university. Eleven quota students participated, Psychology students, subdivided into two focus groups. English-oriented discourse analysis was used as an interpretive strategy. Narratives were organized into six repertoires: family culture on higher education; limitations and precariousness of public basic education; the search for educational complementation; the routine and difficulties prior to university admission; extracurricular activities and the Federal Institutes to enable access to higher education. The analysis of quota student trajectories showed common psychosocial experiences. The shared meanings pointed out that to achieve the goal of entering a public university, in addition to the intense personal effort, discipline and new habits, to break with cultural and family values, it was necessary to have the support of good quality educational institutions, such as the Federal Institutes, or resorting to complementary studies. This study is expected to contribute to the development of psychosocial interventions for quota students in areas of academic and career guidance and also for the consolidation of affirmative action policies.
Keywords:
Affirmative action; public policy; higher education