Influence of frequency and participation on performance in a student-centered learning environment

The aim of this research was to verify student performance, participation and frequency when they study in a student-centered learning environment. Data collection included the application of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis combined quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the results on frequency and participation, 32% of the students had a high number of absences and more than 25% indicated participation less than or equal to 5 (in a 1-10 scale). This is an expressive data, since the low engagement, due to absence in classes, or low participation, in a course aligned with Vygotsky’s assumptions, compromises the construction of knowledge. In these environments, it is not enough that the students try to solve the proposed questions by themselves: the adopted strategy presupposes the social interaction as a differential for learning promotion. Regarding performance, 37% of them were disapproved. To understand the reasons of such unsatisfactory performance, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The analysis of these data revealed that the overload of credits had a great impact on participation and frequency in biochemistry classes. This data indicates the need for integrated curricular organization, without which, even innovative disciplines, with student-centered methods, have discrete possibilities of success.