Changes in the attitudes of professors and students of medicine towards arabicizing medical terms in the faculties of medicine: A study from Jordan

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate changes in awareness, attitudes, acceptability, and possible barriers to using Arabicized medical terms in teaching and daily communication in medical colleges in Jordan. Using a cross-sectional online survey, medicine students and professors in Jordanian universities were sampled to survey their awareness, attitudes, and barriers toward Arabicized medical terms. Responses to the surveys were quantified into awareness, attitudes, and barriers scores and compared according to the sociodemographic variables of the study sample. Results of the current study showed positive awareness/acceptability and attitudes among medicine students toward Arabicized medical terms. The most common perceived barriers toward Arabicization among medicine students were that teaching and assessments (exams, quizzes, projects, etc.) are in English and the unavailability of valuable medical references that use Arabic terms. Several demographic variables were associated with acceptability, attitudes, and/or barriers toward Arabicized terms among medicine students, including gender, income, place of living, level of medicine study, having more than one mother tongue, and language proficiency. Medicine university professors showed acceptable awareness and generally positive attitudes toward Arabicized terms. The most frequently cited barriers among medicine professors were in concordance with those pointed out by medicine students, which indicates the validity of these barriers. Gender and English language proficiency were the only factors associated with acceptability, attitudes, and/or barriers toward Arabicized terms among medicine university professors. In conclusion, the current study indicated a generally more suitable environment for utilizing Arabicized medical terms, especially when delineating major barriers facing medicine students and professors.

Keywords

• Arabicization
• Medical terms
• Medicine
• Language planning
• Awareness
• Attitudes