INTERIORIZATION, PERSISTENCE, AND ATTRITION: A NINETEEN-YEAR PORTRAIT OF SCIENCE TEACHER EDUCATION DEGREES AT UFAM

Abstract

This article analyzes the academic trajectory of students enrolled in the Science Teaching Degree programs — Biology and Chemistry, and Mathematics and Physics — offered by the Institute of Health and Biotechnology of the Federal University of Amazonas (ISB/UFAM), between 2006 and 2024. The study adopts a quantitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, based on institutional records of enrollment, dropout, compulsory withdrawal, retention, and completion. The results reveal low enrollment occupancy, averaging 87% in Biology and Chemistry and 74% in Mathematics and Physics, along with high rates of dropout and compulsory withdrawal, resulting in low completion indices (31.5% and 22.9%, respectively). The findings also indicate an extended average time to degree completion, often exceeding six years, with cases surpassing ten. These phenomena reflect structural weaknesses such as inadequate prior schooling, low valuation of the teaching profession, rigid curricula, and insufficient student retention policies. It is concluded that strengthening teacher education programs and valuing teaching within interiorization contexts are essential not only to guarantee access, but also to ensure persistence and quality completion in higher education.