Efeito da iniciação científica no rendimento acadêmcio e na inserção em Programas de Pós-Graduação “Stricto Sensu”: uma análise com Propensity Score Matching

Abstract

Theoretically, stimulating students to participate in Scientific Initiation Programs during their undergraduate training leads to the idea that it will motivate them to academic research activity, the effect of which suggests a positive contribution to a more accurate qualification, thus increasing the chances of this academic to walk the path of research in the academic career through postgraduate training. Consequently, it is possible to intensify the quality of the trained human capital that, indirectly, will also be able to cooperate with the performance of the productive sector. Therefore, the objective of this research is to measure the effect of the Scientific Initiation Program on the average academic performance during the graduation of the State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG) and on the insertion of this student at a national level in the Stricto Sensu Graduate Programs (Master's Degree) in the year following the training, considering the newcomers to graduation in 2014. Initially, a descriptive analysis of the data was made, and the results suggest that Scientific Initiation can influence the average effect on the student's performance, as well as influence the entry of students in Postgraduate Programs. However, as the choice of the student participating in the Scientific Initiation program is not random, it is not possible to associate whether the student's entry into the Graduate Program is due to Scientific Initiation or if the observed characteristics are influencing this process. In due sequence, a tool capable of inferring the results in a more assertive way was uses, the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) - estimating the Logit model. The results revealed that doing Scientific Initiation raises the average academic performance of UEPG’s students and contributes to their entry into the Master's Programs, confirming the importance of the insertion of Scientific Initiation in undergraduate courses.