Exploring the roles and relationships between government policy, institutional cultures and individual identities on the conceptualisation of widening

As a mechanism for social mobility, Higher Education (HE) has the ability to break intergenerational disadvantage - with widening participation (WP) interventions being essential for the benefit of students from underrepresented groups and wider society. Previously, WP policies were criticised for adopting deficit discourses, limiting critical examination of inequitable HE practices. Legislation dictates parameters, but the construction of Access and Participation Plans (APPs) is relatively autonomous - resulting in a plethora of approaches to WP, as institutional cultures and personal identities influence the implementation of policy. Whilst researchers have explored policy discourse, institutional cultures and personal identities in relation to WP, no studies provide a holistic examination of the interconnectivity of these factors. This qualitative study would draw on documentary evidence from 8-12 universities and semi-structured interviews with 6- 8 staff from each university type. Using Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis and Giddens' notion of self-identity and society, the study would explore the framing of underrepresented student groups within APP guidance and APPs, characterising factors of institutional cultures, and staffs' identities in relation to professional roles. Examining relationships between the full data set will provide novel perspectives that deepen our understanding of the WP landscape.