Effect of pre-lecture medical terminology guidance on students’ academic achievement and class participation

Abstract

Comprehending English medical terms represents a major obstacle for medical students, especially the none-native English speaking learners that might lead some of them to failure sometimes. This study was intended to examine the usefulness of a “pre-lecture medical terminology guide” in improving those students’ academic achievement and class participation during their study of a physiotherapy course. A two-cycle approach of intervention was followed implementing a written pre-lecture guide in the first cycle, and a written pre-lecture guide with a 5-minute explanatory lecture in the second cycle. The obtained results showed a slight improvement in students’ scoring in the first cycle, but a significant one during the second cycle. In addition, the findings revealed students’ preference of pre-lecture medical terminology guide with a 5-minute explanatory lecture as an effective teaching method for them to understand the medical terms in English. The students also showed a positive feedback towards the pre-lecture guide and felt it helped them understand and memorize difficult medical vocabulary more easily. They also believed that the same technique should be used with other physiotherapy classes.