Assessing Courseware: Insights From Medical Students on Textbook Efficacy in Palestinian Medical Contexts

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Applied Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics

Background:

• Evaluating medical English textbooks is crucial for non-native speakers.
• A gap exists in assessing textbook efficacy in Palestinian medical education.
• Communication skills are vital for medical practitioners.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess the efficacy of "Good Practice: Communication Skills in English for the Medical Practitioner" textbook.
• Evaluate content alignment, task appropriateness, and language clarity.
• Investigate the textbook's impact on medical students in Palestine.

Main Methods:

• A structured questionnaire surveyed 216 medical students.
• Factor analysis refined the survey to 13 items across 3 dimensions: communication proficiency (COM), content (CON), and language clarity (LAC).
• Statistical analysis examined relationships and moderating effects of gender and academic level.

Main Results:

• Significant positive links found between textbook content and communication proficiency.
• Communication proficiency positively correlated with language clarity.
• Gender moderated the COM-LAC relationship; females showed higher acceptance.

Conclusions:

• Medical textbook content, communication strategies, and language clarity are critical for learning.
• Gender and sociocultural factors should inform the development of medical education materials.
• The textbook shows promise for enhancing English communication skills in medical students.