O movimento do acesso ao ensino superior em Portugal de 1960 a 2017: Uma análise ecológica
Globally, the expansion of investments in the field of higher education, which stems from both the demands of the economic sector and the growing appreciation of the social dimension of knowledge, implies mobilization within the scope of access to this level of education. If, on the one hand, access policies play a central role, on the other hand, the interactions of individuals in the different environments of which they are part cannot be disregarded. The aim of this paper, from a socio-ecological perspective, was to analyse the movements of access to higher education in Portugal from 1960 to 2017. The interpretation of data on access and legislation on higher education in that period, in relation to the literature review outcomes, made it possible to identify moments of expansion and retraction of access to higher education in Portugal. It was at the confluence of a set of more or less favorable factors that the distinct movements of access originated over time. This confluence of factors led individuals to shape and reshape their aspirations concerning their entry to higher education.