Investigating English for Medical Purposes (EMP) Coursebooks in China: Insights from Learner and Teacher Questionnaires and Coursebook Analysis
Authors:   , Xu Xiaopeng 
Published: February 2024

<p><strong>English for Medical Purposes (EMP) education is growing rapidly in China, with over 100 medical universities or faculties offering EMP courses. The overarching aim of this research is to investigate how EMP coursebooks can effectively support Chinese tertiary EMP learners and teachers through a mixed method approach. Study 1 involved developing, validating, and delivering a learner questionnaire and a teacher questionnaire to explore the use, evaluation, and needs regarding EMP coursebooks. Study 2 focused on one commonly used EMP coursebook identified from Study 1 by applying and adapting Littlejohn’s (2011) framework to analyze its content. The integration of the two studies allowed for an in-depth investigation into the effectiveness of EMP coursebooks in supporting Chinese tertiary EMP learners and teachers.</strong></p><p>Study 1 began with determining content areas and drafting the questionnaires in English, followed by examining the representativeness and relevance of the content areas and questionnaire items. The readability of both the English questionnaires and their Chinese translations was assessed before proceeding to the piloting stage. The learner questionnaire underwent two rounds of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and one Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The EFAs revealed that the underlying structure of the learner responses did not match the theoretical structure of the questionnaire well. The structure identified from the second EFA was modified to better fit the data in the CFA. The modified structure of the learner questionnaire consisted of five variables. Two variables were related to coursebook use: (1) teacher-supervised coursebook preview and review and (2) learners’ self-directed coursebook use. One variable concerned coursebook evaluation: reflection of how EMP is actually used in the field of medicine by providing texts and topics medical students may encounter in studies and future work. The remaining two variables involved learners’ needs from the coursebooks: (1) scaffolding, such as providing answer keys and tips for completing activities, and (2) interactive activities like pair or group work.</p><p>Several key findings emerged from the descriptive, inferential, and qualitative content analyses of the learner questionnaire data (n = 522). First, learners often used their EMP coursebooks in a self-directed way. Second, they agreed that their coursebooks effectively reflected how EMP is actually used in the field of medicine. Third, they needed scaffolding and interactive activities in the coursebooks. Fourth, they needed great support in learning medical vocabulary and paid extra attention to specialization of medical content, meta-language, organization of content, and use of images in the coursebooks. The statistical and qualitative content analyses of the teacher responses (n = 51) revealed that the teachers rarely created their own materials but frequently adapted their EMP coursebooks. They agreed on the effectiveness of their coursebooks in reflecting how EMP is actually used in the field of medicine. Their strongest need regarding EMP coursebooks was guidance on vocabulary use, followed by supporting resources on medical content. The teacher questionnaire did not undergo EFA and CFA.</p><p>In Study 2, one EMP coursebook was analyzed using an adapted version of Littlejohn’s (2011) three-level framework: (1) objective description; (2) task analysis in terms of process, mode of participation, and content; and (3) inference about underlying principles. The analysis revealed that the coursebook provided sufficient supporting resources to scaffold EMP learning and teaching, including video scripts, Chinese translations of the texts, and answer keys. Most coursebook images supported learners’ understanding of texts. The limitations included (1) a lack of guidance on medical vocabulary frequency and register, (2) threats to the authenticity of original texts through adaptations, (3) absence of some common medical text types, such as case reports and medical records, and (4) little attention to discoursal features, such as grammatical features and genre conventions.</p><p>This research provides guidance for coursebook designers in designing EMP coursebooks that can effectively support EMP education in China. Findings can raise EMP teachers’ awareness of addressing deficiencies in their coursebooks by adapting the materials effectively. Moreover, this research highlights the importance of using rigorous approaches to develop questionnaires with sufficient reliability and validity.</p>