Resumo Este artigo tem como objetivo estratificar e configurar as classes sociais e suas distinções no acesso ao ensino superior brasileiro. A pesquisa adota técnicas estatísticas para investigar essas relações por meio dos dados do Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (Enem). Com base no capital cultural, econômico, social e linguístico, identificamos uma classe superior que tem acesso a todos os cursos; uma classe intermediária heterogênea, cuja fração privilegiada tem acesso a 35,8% dos cursos, mas não aos de prestígio; e uma classe inferior, cujo baixo desempenho permite acesso a menos de 5% dos cursos. Assim, o Enem opera como um elemento que reproduz a diferenciação e hierarquização, ao manter o ensino superior como uma distinção social.

Abstract The objective of this article is to stratify and configure the social classes and its distinctions in the access to higher education. The research uses statistical techniques to investigate these relations by the Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (Enem) data. Based on cultural, economic, social and linguistic capital, we identified an upper class which has access to all of the courses. a heterogeneous intermediate class, which a privileged fraction has access to 35.8% of the courses, but not the prestigious ones; and a lower class, whose low performance allows access to less than 5% of the courses. Thereby, Enem acts as an element that reproduces the differentiation and hierarchization, by maintaining higher education as a social distinction.

Considering the recent expansion and democratization of access to Higher Education in Brazil, this article aims to characterize and compare the socioeconomic profiles of students who are entering the Bachelor (BAC), teacher education degree (LIC) and Chemical Engineering (ENG) at UNESP - Araraquara. A quantitative, longitudinal study was performed according to sociological interpretation of Pierre Bourdieu. The data stands for a socioeconomic questionnaire and the performance on the entrance exam of 1544 students between 2003 and 2018. A Socioeconomic Index was built through a Factorial Analysis and a Multiple Correspondence Analysis was performed to compare the profile of students of three courses. The results show that the students’ profiles are different, despite becoming similar in recent years, and the demand for these courses has been decreasing since 2016. There are three factors that explain these changes: i) young people’s lack of interest in scientific careers; ii) low attractiveness of the teaching career; iii) the creation of a new course modality in the institution (the ENG). Studies like this can contribute to identify, evaluate, and implement actions to democratize the access and permanence of students in Higher Education.

Resumo: O Ensino de Ciências e Matemática (ECM) é uma área nova e um espaço híbrido de diversas fronteiras. A sociologia da ciência de Bourdieu estuda as disciplinas como possíveis campos, em função de seu capital específico e sua autonomia. No entanto, o autor não investigou campos em formação ou multidisciplinares como o ECM. Assim, objetivamos caracterizar as hierarquias da área de Ensino da Capes, por meio da construção de um indicador, taxa de aderência, que investiga o perfil da elite acadêmica contemplada com bolsa de produtividade do CNPq. Identificamos uma taxa de aderência de 53%, indicando que pouco menos da metade dos 143 bolsistas do Ensino obteve a bolsa, detendo o capital específico de outros campos como Física e Química. Os resultados indicam que o Ensino, em geral, e o ECM, em particular, não possuem fronteiras bem delimitadas, apontando para uma forte heteronomia e para a ausência de capital específico ou de um campo.

Abstract: Science and Mathematics Education (SME) is a new area and a hybrid space with many frontiers. Pierre Bourdieu's sociology of science studies disciplines as possible fields depending on their specific capital and autonomy. However, it did not investigate new or multidisciplinary fields such as SME. Thus, we aim to characterize the hierarchies of the CAPES Teaching Field through the construction of an indicator, adherence rate, which investigates the profile of the academic elite contemplated with the CNPq productivity research grants. We have identified an adherence rate of 53%, therefore, just over half of the 143 teaching grant holders were awarded research grants, concentrating specific capital of other fields such as Physics and Chemistry. The results indicate that Teaching, in general, and SME, in particular, does not have well-defined frontiers, pointing to a strong heteronomy and absence of specific capital or a field.