| dc.description.abstract | Entrance and dropout rates in universities are multifactorial phenomena, which can be caused
by individual student abilities, demographic characteristics, factors related to the quality and
support of study centers, previous academic backgrounds, specialization, aspirations, among
others. As a constitutive part of the educational and formative quality criteria of educational
systems, success levels on indices such as attendance or dropping out of studies are also
found. For this reason, it is important to recognize the processes and experiences that
university students face both to enter and to stay in their studies. Therefore, the objective of
this research was to understand the perceptions and experiences of the quota policy
beneficiaries regarding access and persistence in public and private universities in the city of
Cuenca. Based on a phenomenological qualitative design, and through thematic analysis,
semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 former quota policy beneficiaries. The
results allowed us to know the perceptions and experiences of the beneficiary students
regarding access, permanence and desertion in each of the private and public universities. It
was also found that the entrance exam is a milestone in the students' perception, and that
scholarships, above concepts such as quota policy, stood out as the most representative
concept in the students' imaginaries. | |
