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This mixed-methods study investigated the English medical vocabulary strategies, needs, and difficulties of Taiwanese medical school students via an open- and closed-ended questionnaire (n = 17), a test measuring vocabulary size (n = 17), student interviews (n = 5), and teacher interviews (n = 3). Students reported using some vocabulary strategies more than others. A statistically significant negative relationship between students’ English vocabulary size and their use of word cards for vocabulary learning was also revealed. Through analysis of the interview data gathered from the medical students and their English teachers, five vocabulary learning difficulties faced by the medical students were uncovered: (1) nonexistent intentional English vocabulary learning, (2) stagnant specialized medical English vocabulary acquisition, (3) lack of sufficient contextualized academic English writing practice with newly encountered specialized medical vocabulary; (4) lack of teacher feedback on the students’ vocabulary use; and (5) lack of pedagogical communication among faculty. The pedagogical implications of these results were discussed with a focus on improving students’ vocabulary learning efficiency in light of their specialized English medical vocabulary needs.

This study investigated the effectiveness, as well as EFL learners’ perceptions, of the keyword method (KWM) in comparison to the rote learning method (RLM) for the learning of English collocations. A controlled laboratory-like setting was adopted for randomly assigning participants to the KWM group (n = 15) or the RLM group (n = 15). After receiving training on the use of the respective strategy, the two participant groups applied the respective strategy to the learning of collocations. Collocations were assessed at three different time periods, and additional data regarding perceptions of the two strategies were elicited through one-on-one post hoc interviews. The quantitative data revealed that the KWM was superior to the RLM in terms of the long-term retention of productive collocation knowledge; knowledge of adjective–noun collocations was retained better than verb–noun collocations. The qualitative data revealed that participants deemed that the KWM was unfamiliar but effective. Additionally, participants claimed that the RLM was facile but may result in a high rate of forgetting. The pedagogical implications are that foreign language teachers should encourage language learners to use the KWM for learning English collocations. Although the KWM has been recommend by many researchers, it is still rarely advocated for by foreign language instructors. Therefore, it is important that both EFL learners and teachers should be aware of the KWM’s long-term retention effects on the learning of English collocations and apply this vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) in their actual learning and teaching context.

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The COVID-19 epidemic has swept the world, causing serious impact and influence on economic development and residents' life in countries all over the world. This paper takes China as an example, further analyses the characteristics of China's hierarchical medical model based on the international hierarchical medical research planning, and proposes the application of “big data analysis + hierarchical medical” model for the new coronavirus epidemic and other public health emergencies based on the advantages of big data application to solve public health crises, in order to provide a reference for the planning of hierarchical medical system during the epidemic. It is expected to provide reference for the planning of hierarchical medical and health system during the epidemic, which is an innovative attempt of the medical industry.