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

Abstract

Purpose

This study had three main purposes which were (a) to assess the adequacy and desirability of Arabic in health professional instruction by investigating students and teachers’ perspectives and attitudes, (b) to explore aspects of Arabic medical translations which are not meeting expectations, and lastly, (c) to examine whether the level of education is a predictor of attitude.

Method

A questionnaire survey of medical and dental students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels was carried out in 2019 at major universities in Damascus. Faculty members were also invited to participate. 346 respondents in total completed the questionnaires. Data were processed and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Attitude theory and Health belief model were employed to analyse and interpret the study findings.

Results

Overall attitudes toward Arabic as a language of instruction were relatively negative. Students consistently exhibited a preference for English as the language of instruction. The one-way Welch’s ANOVA test found a significant difference among the main subgroups (undergraduates, postgraduates, faculty). Findings also showed that students and teachers suffer from the inadequacy of Arabic medical translations in quality and quantity. Respondents were generally dissatisfied with the proficiency of medical translators, and the majority agreed that there is a shortage of up-to-date Arabic study materials.

Discussion

Students’ implicitly considered Arabic as a threat to their career advancement. Inadequacy of teaching in Arabic was more evident among postgraduates. Syrian students’ desire to join the international medical community was one of the data implications. This study shed new light on the anomalous Syrian educational system as it provided a theortical framework which could further understanding of the interaction between different concepts that affect attitudes towards the language of instruction. In terms of directions for future research, qualitative field research is recommended to give an idiographic account of students and teachers’ subjective perception of the career threats posed by using Arabic as the medium of instruction in medical education.