Language barriers to studying medicine in English: perceptions of final-year medical students at the Arabian Gulf University

Background: English is the language of instructions in many medical schools in the Arab world. Its use may create a language barrier and adversely affect an individual’s learning and later professional life. Aims: This study examined the views of final-year Arab medical students of a language barrier and its effect on their learning and academic performance, and their language preference for medial education. Methods: All final-year medical students (n = 142, 62% females)at the Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain, were invited to respond to a self-completed questionnaire. Differences in responses according to English proficiency and sex were assessed. Results: Of the 142 students, 99 (70%)responded. Most students did not feel a language barrier irrespective of their proficiency in English (P = 0.088). Most respondents did not think that language issues made studying more difficult, although there was a significant difference in responses between students considered proficient in English and those less proficient (P = 0.005). Most students (82%)were not aware or were not sure of medical terms in Arabic, but 66% were confident that they would be able to communicate with patients in Arabic. About half of the students (51%)supported medicine being taught only in English and 36% supported teaching in Arabic and English. Conclusions: Most students thought that learning in English did not affect their academic learning and performance. However, a good proportion supported being taught medicine in Arabic and English

Arabic version of the Major Depression Inventory as a diagnostic tool: reliability and concurrent and discriminant validity

The Major Depression Inventory [MDI] is a brief questionnaire to assess the presence of a depressive disorder. We prepared an Arabic version of the MDi and tested its reliability and concurrent and discriminant validity as a diagnostic tool of major depressive disorder. A group of 50 Egyptian outpatients with major depressive disorder [assessed clinically and with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis 1 Disorders] were compared with 50 healthy controls using the MDI-A, Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]. Cronbach a was 0.91 and intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.98 [95% Cl: 0.97-0.99]. Scores on the MDI-A strongly correlated with BDI scores [r - 0.81] but insignificantly correlated with STAI scores. Using the MDI scoring algorithm, the sensitivity was 88.4% and specificity 78.9%. We conclude that the MDI-A has an excellent reliability and an acceptable concurrent and discriminant validity

Validity and reliability of the Persian [Farsi] version of the Job Content Questionnaire: a study among hospital nurses

Stress is an increasingly important occupational health problem, even in developing countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Job Content Questionnaire [JCQ] is a widely used self-administered instrument to measure dimensions of job stress in the workplace. This study describes the preparation of a Persian [Farsi] language version of the questionnaire [P-JCQ]. In the first stage, linguistic validation was done by forward and backward translation. In the psychometric evaluation stage, the reliability and validity of the P-JCQ were explored among 107 hospital nurses in Shiraz city. Cronbach alpha coefficients for decision latitude and psychological job demands scales were 0.54 and 0.58 respectively and ranged from 0.64 to 0.85 for other scales. Exploratory factor analysis showed 3 meaningful factors that could explain support, psychological job demands and physical loads and hazard exposure. The P-JCQ has satisfactory linguistic validity and psychometric properties, provided the recommended factor pattern is used

Difficulties facing first-year medical students at Umm Alqura University in Saudi Arabia

This study investigated medical students study habits and perceptions of learning difficulties during their first year of study. A specially-designed questionnaire was answered by 165 second-year medical and medical science students at Umm Alqura University in Saudi Arabia. Out of the 7 difficulties listed in the questionnaire, students ranked peer competition first, followed by poor English language skills. Male students ranked peer competition as the top difficulty whereas females ranked it fourth. A majority of students were dissatisfied with the passive, lecture-based method of teaching and wanted the English language curriculum to be improved by more emphasis on conversation skills. Early introduction of the concept of active learning and effective studying habits is needed

Language barriers in medical education and attitudes towards Arabization of medicine: student and staff perspectives

Students and staff perspectives on language barriers in medical education in Egypt and their attitude towards Arabization of the medical curriculum were explored in a questionnaire survey of 400 medical students and 150 staff members. Many students [56.3%] did not consider learning medicine in English an obstacle, and 44.5% of staff considered it an obstacle only in the 1st year of medical school. Many other barriers to learning other than language were mentioned. However, 44.8% of students translated English terms to Arabic to facilitate studying and 70.6% of students in their clinical study years would prefer to learn patient history-taking in Arabic. While Arabization in general was strongly declined, teaching in Arabic language was suggested as appropriate in some specialties

Assessing validity of the adapted Arabic Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire among Egyptian children with asthma

The recent focus in asthma management is rendering children a better quality of life [QOL]. Validity and reliability of an adapted Arabic translation of the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [PAQLQ-A] among Egyptians was assessed in a cohort of 103 asthmatic children aged 8-16 years. Discriminative validity of mean scores was significantly higher among mild asthmatics than those with moderate/severe asthma. Construct validity of domains was significantly negatively correlated with clinical severity score. Reliability and internal consistency were assessed using Cronbach alpha coefficient [alpha = 0.84]. Reproducibility and responsiveness were high among both stable and unstable asthma patients. PAQLQ-A is valid and reliable for assessing QOL among Egyptian asthmatic children

[Role of WHO Arabic Programme in scaling up the Arabic language]

The World Health Organization Arabic Programme [WAP], a global programme hosted by the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office [EMRO] since the 1980s, is concerned with presenting a clear and sound view of WHO and its efforts to promote health throughout the world. This is achieved through translating WHO basic documents, presenting WHO activities in Arabic, meeting the needs of countries for new and reliable information in all areas of health, developing scientific terminology, and institutionalizing health technology in the Arab countries. WAP has collaborated with the Arab Medical Union, the Arab Health Ministers Council, Arabic language academies and unions of health professions, as well as universities and health science teaching institutes. This paper details the role of WAP in promoting Arabic in the field of health

[Teaching English at Damascus University Medical School]

The World Health Organization gives special attention to developing and training human resources and improving their accessibility to reliable and updated scientific resources. This study aims to determine the ability of students in Damascus University Medical School to benefit from English sources of information: they study medical sciences in Arabic but 4 hours per week are allocated for the study of English. The study shows that the benefit to the students from these classes is minor: their proficiency remains at level B1 [according to the General European Framework]. This makes it essential to modify the English classes. It is important to determine the role of medical sciences teachers and to qualify students to be able to pass international examinations

[A critical view of Arabic curriculum as a requirement for medical schools, Gezira University]

We compared the present Arabic syllabus used in Gezira University Medical School with previous ones. We also surveyed students and Arabic professors in medical sciences on their views on the content and teaching/evaluation procedures and how these contributed to students' understanding of the medical science syllabus. The current syllabus was designed to provide students with Arabic language skills with particular reference to scientific language. The students' opinions differed regarding their understanding of clinical medicine and their interaction with patients and also the benefits to them of research procedures and reporting. The professors considered the syllabus was adequate to achieve its aims but emphasized the importance of varying teaching methods and evaluation

[The use of Arabic in the World Health Organization. Part two]

In part one of this paper we discussed the use of Arabic as an official and working language in the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and WHO Headquarters. We reviewed the arrangements made to rationalize the Arabic activities in WHO, the development of an authentic Arabic version of the WHO constitution, the impact of WHO restructuring on the Arabic programme and the establishment of the Arab Centre for Medical Literature in Kuwait. In this part we address the developments in Arabic medical terminology, the establishment of the Regional Arabic Programme and the unified WHO Programme of Arabic publications, and last but not least, the production of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal in English, French and Arabic

[The use of Arabic in the World Health Organization. Part one]

The course of Arabic in WHO began in September 1954 when the Regional Subcommittee "A" requested the Regional Director to study the possibility of using Arabic as a working language for WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. At WHO Headquarters, Arabic was used as an official language in the World Health Assembly in May 1972, and became a working language for the Organization in May 1975. This article reviews the progression of the use of Arabic in WHO since then