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|a UK government agendas promoting widening participation in higher education and diversification of the health and social care workforce have contributed to changing student profiles in pre-registration occupational therapy education. Sixty-seven percent of the 2005 intake was mature and students increasingly enter with a range of 'non-traditional' academic backgrounds. A small body of evidence suggests that final degree marks are indistinguishable for occupational therapy students holding traditional and non-traditional entry qualifications, but none of these studies considered students unable to complete or the potential influence of socio-economic background or gender. The progression routes and academic achievements of 239 consenting occupational therapy students from a single programme were analysed to explore the influence of entry qualifications, age at entry, gender and socio-economic background. None had a statistically significant impact on the final degree marks of graduating students. Binary logistic regressions, however, highlighted that male gender and a background from amongst the lower socio-economic groups were significant predictors of poorer outcomes in relation to passing at Level 4, 5 and 6 and the achievement of a 'good' (upper second or first class) honours degree. The findings raise important questions about how a profession that promotes social justice supports diversity amongst its own ranks.
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