‘We should be fuelling their passion’: A phenomenological exploration of the role of teachers in careers guidance for students applying to medical school from widening participation backgrounds

Widening participation remains a key priority for medical schools, but to date, progress has been limited. Previous work has identified that a significant barrier to universities achieving more substantial change is that a limited number of students from deprived backgrounds apply to medical schools. Increasingly, evidence has shown that secondary schools play an essential and under-researched role. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with science teachers working in schools with higher-than-average levels of socio-economic deprivation. These were analysed with a descriptive phenomenological methodology using a Bourdieusian theoretical framework. Teachers described providing social capital to students from underrepresented backgrounds, thereby helping them to overcome inequalities. The teachers work in a broader system; their role being shaped by the institutional habitus of the school in which they work. They also identified several barriers to their role, including highlighting inadequate time or money available to allow them to carry out the role and a lack of training for it. This means that some schools provide better support for students than others, thereby maintaining inequality. For teachers to better support students, appropriate funding, training, and time need to be afforded to them.