A Study on Medical English Education of China

Abstract

There is a paucity of research about the Medical English (ME) education in China. This study aims to give suggestions on improving the quality of medical English education of China by investigating the current Medical English needs of medical students and the current situation of Medical English teaching. The study was conducted during the second semester of the 2020-2021 academic year at Chongqing Medical University, China. A total of 260 students were surveyed with Needs Analysis Medical English Questionnaire (NAMEQ). Simultaneously, interviews were carried out to further enrich the research. SPSS version 25.0 was implemented to conduct independent T-test and Chi-square test. Descriptive analysis was used to quantify the responses and summarize the variables. All statistical analyses were performed at a significance level of 5%.The subjects with medical background had various interests in English and were willing to spend time improving it. About 99.3% of the students agreed with the importance of ME for their future study and work. Up to 92% of them wanted to improve their reading ability and 73% of them want to learn medical lexicology. Limited learning periods, irrational orders of curriculum arrangements and insufficient practice were reflected in the learning process. Ample and systemic teaching materials including textbooks, auxiliary materials were urgently needed. Based on current research, feasible suggestions were proposed in aspects of improving students’ interests and inner motivations, curriculum arrangements, adjustments of teaching materials and so forth, which are conducive to the modifications to the contents and methods of teaching ME.