Native Arabic Language Use Acceptability and Adequacy in Health Professional Instruction: Students and Faculty’s Perspectives

Alfakhry, Ghaith; Dashash, Mayssoon; Jamous, Issam

doi:10.1016/j.hpe.2020.06.004

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The taught content at medical schools in Syria is limited to the available Arabic study materials which are much poorer in quality and limited in quantity in comparison to their English counterparts. A previous study highlighted negative students’ attitudes towards Arabic as the language of instruction [ 44 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing the significant shortcomings in the learning environment at the three largest medical schools in Syria: what’s next?

et al. 2023

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Background Medical education in Syria still adopts a traditional, teacher-centered curriculum to this day. These elements imply the existence of issues in the learning environment (LE). This study aims to provide the first evaluation of the LE at the largest medical schools in Syria using the DREEM inventory. Methods The three largest medical schools in Syria are the ones at Damascus University (DU), University of Aleppo (AU), Tishreen University (TU). The Arabic version of the DREEM questionnaire was used. Students across all years of study except year 1 were approached. Both paper-based and electronic surveys were conducted. Results A total of 1774 questionnaire forms were completed (DU:941, AU:533, TU: 300). The overall DREEM score at DU, AU, and TU were 100.8 ± 28.7, 101.3 ± 31.7, and 97.8 ± 35.7 respectively with no significant difference (P = 0.254) between the three universities. DREEM subscales concerning Learning, Atmosphere, Academic Self-perception and Social Self-perception had a low score across all universities. Clinical-stage students reported significantly lower perception (P ≤ 0.001) of the LE in comparison to their pre-clinical counterparts across all subscales. Conclusions The findings of this study highlight the significant shortcomings of the medical LE in Syria. If not addressed properly, the academic, clinical, and professional competence of the healthcare workforce will continue to deteriorate. Moreover, the negative LE might be a predisposing factor for medical students’ exodus. The Syrian medical education system requires leaders who are willing to defy the status quo to achieve a true educational transformation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing the significant shortcomings in the learning environment at the three largest medical schools in Syria: what’s next?

et al. 2023

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“…In contrast, Al-Zubi et al ( 20 ) and Saha et al ( 21 ) identified a preference for native language instruction due to EMI’s linguistic challenges and resource scarcity. Alfakhry et al ( 22 ) explored attitudes toward language translation in educational content, while Al-Zubi et al ( 20 ) assessed the reception of Arabicized medical terminology. Dube and Mlotshwa ( 23 ) provided insights into nursing students’ perceptions in South Africa, adding depth to the discourse on EMI’s impact on learning environments.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2.1 Positive attitudes: Alfakhry et al ( 22 ) and Horwood et al ( 19 ) document a favorable disposition toward EMI among students and faculty, attributing this preference to the enhanced access to academic resources and potential for career progression that EMI offers. Alfakhry et al ( 22 ) specifically found a consistent preference for EMI despite challenges stemming from insufficient Arabic medical translations. Horwood et al ( 19 ) echoed these sentiments, noting that EMI provided significant opportunities for engagement with the wider scientific community and career development.…”

Section: Main Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In areas where English is not the lingua franca, like Syria, the absence of professional medical translators in educational settings hampers learning. Al-Fakri et al ( 22 ) have emphasized the urgent need to establish translation units within medical schools to support non-English-speaking students. This solution necessitates the recruitment and development of translators well-versed in medical terminology and language education, which may prove challenging given the required level of expertise.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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One decade of “English as a medium of instruction” (EMI) in healthcare education

Alhamami

2024

Front. Med.

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IntroductionThis paper analyzes published healthcare studies about “English as a medium of instruction” (EMI), indexed in the Scopus database from 2013 to 2022.MethodsThe author used published criteria of systematic reviews and limited the findings to healthcare education using several key terms; this returned 137 articles. The author then downloaded and carefully read the articles. The majority of articles (102) were deleted because they did not meet the selection criteria discussed in the methods section, thus the final list comprised 35 research studies. Next, the author analyzed the articles’ bibliometric indexes, such as author, funding information, context, research instruments, years of publication, place of publication, and citations. In addition, the key findings and recommendations of these studies were presented.Results and discussionMost of the studies assessed were conducted in the last five years in Arabic speaking countries by non-language specialists, and the language of instruction was not the main focus of the studies. The studies were most often about attitudes of students, and used quantitative methods such as questionnaires. The results show diverse and conflicted results such as positive impacts and positive attitudes in some cases, negative impacts and attitudes in others, and preferences for either monolingual or bilingual approaches. The findings demonstrate the need for experimental and rigorous mixed methods studies that involve different stakeholders and are conducted by both applied linguists and healthcare education specialists. Future research should move beyond student attitudes and utilize rigorous mixed methods involving researchers from both linguistics and healthcare education to deepen our understanding of EMI’s complex impact in diverse contexts.

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“…Literature in language research in nursing education focuses on the students' analysis and level of English proficiency. Indeed, language in the healthcare curriculum has garnered much attention (Alfakhry et al, 2020) as excellent communication is required to deliver safe nursing care, create therapeutic relationships with clients, and effective collaboration (Garone and Van de Craen, 2017). However, the learners' English challenges negatively impact academic achievement (Berman and Cheng, 2001), communication, segregation, and unproductive group work (Trice, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting English proficiency of Arabic student nurses: Future directions for educational developers in Saudi Arabia

Alboliteeh¹

2022

Int. j. adv. appl. sci.

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This study aims to determine the contributory factors affecting the English Proficiency of Arabic student nurses. This research employed the quantitative-cross-sectional approach conducted at the University of Hail, College of Nursing. Two hundred seventy-six student nurses participated in the study resulting from the convenience sampling. Frequency and percentage, t-test, and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analyzed the data. Data was gathered between January and February 2022. The students have a low level of English proficiency (22.25/55). The gender has significant difference with level of English proficiency (t=3.679; p<.000), however, there was no significant difference with environment (t=.129; p>.898), peer (t=.255; p>.799), teacher (t=.515; p>.607), and technology (t=1.306; p>.193). Moreover, age was found no significant difference with the level of English proficiency (F=.618; p>.540), environment (F=1.415; p>0.71), and teacher (F=2.462; .087) but with a significant difference with technology (F=4.155; p>.017) and peer (F=1.486; p<.044). The year level of the participants, was found no significant difference with English proficiency (F=.932; p>.395), environment (F=.494; p>.611), peer (F=1.385; p>.252), teacher (F=1.627; p>.198), and technology (F 2.23; p>.109). Lastly, the environment (F=(4,271=9.856, p<000)), peer (F=(4,271=9.856, p<.020)), teacher (F=(4,271=9.856, p<.014)) were significant contributors to the level of proficiency of the student nurses but not on technology. The student nurses have a low level of English proficiency, and gender was found to have a significant difference in English proficiency. The age was found to have no significant difference with English proficiency, environment, and teacher. However, technology and peer were found to have a significant difference. The year level of the participants was found to have no significant difference with English proficiency, environment, peer, teacher, and technology. The environment, peers, and teacher contributed to English proficiency but not to technology.

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Native Arabic Language Use Acceptability and Adequacy in Health Professional Instruction: Students and Faculty’s Perspectives

Cited by 12 publications

References 9 publications

Revealing the significant shortcomings in the learning environment at the three largest medical schools in Syria: what’s next?

Revealing the significant shortcomings in the learning environment at the three largest medical schools in Syria: what’s next?

One decade of “English as a medium of instruction” (EMI) in healthcare education

Factors affecting English proficiency of Arabic student nurses: Future directions for educational developers in Saudi Arabia

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