STUDENT AFFILIATION IN INTEGRATED HIGH SCHOOL: PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS AT FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF CATARINENSE BLUMENAU CAMPUS

Abstract

This article analyzes the process of student affiliation among young people enrolled in the Integrated High School and Vocational Education Program (EMIEP) at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFC), Blumenau Campus. This qualitative, descriptive, and applied research investigates the meanings attributed by students to their experiences of entry, adaptation, integration, and permanence in EMIEP, considering academic, institutional, and subjective dimensions. Data were produced between September and November 2024 through questionnaires applied to 27 students from the technical programs in Electromechanics and Informatics (1st to 3rd year), and in-person interviews with professionals from the Integrated Educational Support and Monitoring Service (SISAE) and two former EMIEP course coordinators. The analysis, based on Bardin’s (1977) Content Analysis and guided by Alain Coulon’s (2008) concept of student affiliation, led to the definition of four analytical categories: time of hesitation, time of estrangement, time of learning, and time of affiliation. The results indicate that entry into EMIEP is marked by challenges such as intense workload, routine reorganization, curricular complexity, the demand for greater autonomy, mental and emotional overload, and the absence of institutionalized welcoming policies. Nevertheless, students recognize IFC as a space for personal and social transformation. Finally, the article discusses the strategies mobilized to support student integration and persistence, highlighting the importance of institutional mechanisms for support and guidance in building the "student craft" and strengthening the bond with the school.