Exploring the academic experience of medical students from a non-traditional socio-economic background : A study of their models of learning and professionalisation within an undergraduate medical curriculum

摘要

Students from lower socio-economic groups remain underrepresented in UKudmedical schools. This enquiry explores the perspectives of medical studentudparticipants to better understand how medical students from lower socioeconomicudbackgrounds may be perceived, their experience of anudundergraduate medical curriculum, and any issues concerned with what isudrequired for them to learn in order to become doctors.udA conceptual framework that encompasses both sociological andudsociocultural learning theories that enable the professional development andudlearning processes of medical students, and students from lower socioeconomicudbackgrounds in particular, to be better understood was required.udTheoretical concepts from the literature informed the iterative development ofudthe research questions that addressed student perspectives, the relationaludaspects between student practice and medical school structures including theudmedical culture, and how student participation is pivotal to their learning.udAn interpretive methodology including focus groups and individual interviewsudwas used to access the perspectives of medical students from across theudcurriculum of one medical school. Analysis used a priori concepts and audmodified grounded theory approach which generated three main categories ofudthemes: who becomes a doctor, students’ developmental processes andudissues underlying their learning.udNon-traditional medical students were found to possess certain socioeconomicudcharacteristics that distinguished them from their peers from a moreudadvantaged background. For some students this led to disadvantage inherentudin their differing patterns of socialisation, issues with developing an effectiveudmedical habitus and resultant professional identity, and reduced or lessudeffective participation in authentic learning activities. A more nuanced nondualisticudunderstanding of the nature of medical professional knowledge andudthe undergraduate curriculum by incorporating a more balanced approach toudthe insights afforded by participatory models of learning have severaludimplications for both medical pedagogy and medical student practice.