The Role of Medical Collocation Competence through a Lexical-Based Approach on Writing among Saudi EFL Medical Learners

Abstract

The present research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed lexical approach in improving English Foreign Language (EFL) students’ Lexical knowledge, particularly their ability to use medical collocations in writing within the medical English context. This paper adopted a mixed methods approach; the quantitative data was obtained from a survey conducted on (24) English Foreign Language (EFL) medical learners at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia, whereas the qualitative data was obtained from interviews with (5) of the participants. The purpose of the study was to identify students’ attitudes toward the benefits and possible difficulties of learning medical collocations. The study establishes their significance in enhancing academic and professional writing as students exhibit adequate motivation to understand medical collocations. However, the study points out the following limitations including inadequate perceptions of culture and lack of practice as key barriers that affect its acquisition. The study suggests that several changes should be made in the context of medical ESP curricula, including systematic instruction in medical collocations, as well as offering the students authentic practice in using knowledge gained throughout the process. Through this study, a noble contribution is provided to the field of applied linguistics since medical collocations are viewed as an impactful method of enhancing EFL learners’ performance in medical English and as a result strengthens their academic and professional oral and written communication abilities as well.