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УДК 372.881.111.1 DOI: 10.18720/HUM/ISSN 2227-8591.34.05
Анна Давыдович
TEACHING AND LEARNING MEDICAL HUNGARIAN VS. MEDICAL ENGLISH: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
ДАВЫДОВИЧ Анна - преподаватель кафедры языков для биомедицинских целей и коммуникации; Медицинский факультет; Печский университет. ул. Сигети, 12, Печ, 7624, Венгрия; e-mail: anna.davidovics@aok.pte.hu
DAVIDOVICS Anna - assistant lecturer, Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication. University of Pécs Medical School. 12. Szigeti ût, Pécs, 7624, Hungary; e-mail: anna.davidovics@aok.pte.hu
Many Hungarian and international students who plan to work in healthcare choose the Medical School of the University of Pécs (UPMS) after finishing their secondary education. The programmes offered by UPMS have become increasingly popular in the past few decades, resulting in the rapid growth of the international student population. There are many similarities and differences between the multicultural and the Hungarian student groups, but they all have high expectations when they begin their studies, and certain perceptions about learning Hungarian (HMP) and English (EMP) for Medical Purposes. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the findings of an online survey conducted at UPMS throughout the academic year of 2018/19, whose goal was to shed some light on what methods international and Hungarian medical students deem the best to study HMP and EMP. The results suggest that both student cohorts prefer to be active during classes, favour cooperative tasks and group work over working alone, and using their mobile devices as much as possible, although the international students were slightly more decisive in many aspects compared to their Hungarian peers. Overall, it may be said that medical students tend to have shared needs, views and preferences when it comes to leaning HMP and EMP, undeterred by their different nationalities, which assists medical language teachers in fine-tuning their classes to their students' learning styles.
TEACHING AND LEARNING HUNGARIAN AND ENGLISH FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES; MEDICAL ENGLISH; MEDICAL HUNGARIAN; INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL STUDENTS; HUNGARIAN MEDICAL STUDENTS; LEARNING STYLES
Citation: Davidovics Anna. Teaching and learning Medical Hungarian vs. Medical English: similarities and differences. Teaching Methodology in Higher Education. 2020. Vol. 9. No 34. P. 53-60. DOI: 10.18720/HUM/ISSN 2227-8591.34.05
Introduction. The dawn of the 21st century brought many changes into people's lives. The rapid advance of technology had a great impact on many aspects of life, including the education systems all around the world. A new generation, born and raised, in the era of digitalization, is entering and progressing with their studies in tertiary
education, with needs and requirements unlike any previous student populations [1].
Clash of cultures: international students in
Hungary. Due to the effects of globalization,
students around the world are presented with the opportunity to study in another country, sometimes far away from their own. Many of
them decide to embark on this journey in hopes of accessing higher quality education, acquiring skills, which would be hardly attainable in their home countries, thus improving their chances for success in the labour market. In 2017, 5.3 million international students were registered studying in tertiary education worldwide, displaying a constant rise in numbers compared to the previous years, as in 1998 the number of international students in countries all around the world only accumulated to 2 million [2].
This rise in the numbers of internationally mobile students can also be observed in Hungary [2]. Császár & Wusching [3] point out that this phenomenon was accelerated when Hungary joined the European Union in 2001, allowing easier access and integration for international students to the country's tertiary education. Many Hungarian universities offer different programmes for international students, but the outstanding popularity of the four medical schools cannot be denied [4].
Relevance. Teaching international and Hungarian medical students
Arriving to the crossroads of choosing the institute of their tertiary education, the University of Pécs, Medical School (UPMS) is undoubtedly a favoured choice of many international and Hungarian students. UPMS offers courses in three different languages, namely English, German and Hungarian. Students enrolled in the two latter programmes form more or less homogeneous groups, while classes in the English programme tend to be quite diverse, both culturally and nationally. Each programme offers different courses, resulting in the limited possibilities for students to work and study together with their peers enrolled in other programmes. Németh & Pozsgai [5] point out the importance of joint courses, allowing students to co-operate with their peers more freely, thus improving their intercultural awareness. A possible, convenient
way to reach students is the usage of digital tools, a channel, which overarches national and cultural differences.
There are many differences between the curricula of international and Hungarian students. The former study Hungarian for Medical Purposes, the latter have several English for Medical Purposes classes. International students face quite a number of difficulties, learning a language sometimes very unlike their own, using English (which is a second language for many) as the channel of communication and instruction. As Huhn et al. [6] describe, possible problems due to the language barrier is also a cause of concern for international students. Hungarian students, on the other hand, do not have to face these struggles, as they learn a language many have been learning for years by that point (during primary and secondary education). Hungarian students can also rely on their native language while communicating with the teacher.
Teaching in international groups poses many challenges, as finding the most effective methods in such culturally and nationally diverse classes is not an easy task, therefore, as Santosa [7] explains, identifying the elements which make learning more effective is strongly recommended. International students have high expectations towards their chosen universities, and they have quite clear and defined ideas about the teaching and learning process [6]. Likewise, their Hungarian peers tend to share many of these perceptions and expectations.
Teaching Gen Z medical students: a trait they all share. Members of Gen Z, currently being enrolled in tertiary medical education, are the ones who were born and raised in the era of the Internet and the advancement of technology and devices. Gen Z students spend a considerable amount of their time online, using social media not just to connect to their peers, but also to study [8]. Portable devices allow students to keep in touch with their peers almost all the time without actual
physical contact, and these instruments can also be a tremendous help, allowing people to bridge the gap between cultures and nations.
International students tend to define intercultural interactions as something being done outside of their circle of friends, regardless their nationality and cultural background [9]. A telecollaboration project at UPMS allows non-mobile students to experience similar intercultural interactions with the help of the virtual space [15]. Albeit spending their time in a mostly homogeneous classroom setting, Hungarian Gen Z students linger just as much online and on social media, connecting to the vast world around them, including other cultures and nationalities.
Gen Z students work best in an interactive and immersive environment, with an extended variety of tasks, as they sometimes struggle to stay focused for an extended period of time. This trait could be linked to the fact that, while being in the virtual world, Gen Z students often find themselves multitasking and doing many things at once, resulting in a shorter attention span and the inability to keep them focused on a single task for long [10; 11]. Gen Z students are very much attached to their gadgets and devices, therefore implementing their use during classes can be quite beneficial.
Gamification (using game-like elements to improve engagement and motivation) is also proving to be beneficial [12]. Shatto [13] mentions that games like Kahoot and Socrative can also promote critical thinking. It is worth noting, however, that only a fraction of Gen Z students can be defined as "power users", many of them are only scratching the surface of the opportunities provided by technology, which should be kept in mind [14]. Keeping Gen Z students engaged during classes can be a big challenge for the educators, the "digital immigrants", who might not be as nonchalant and comfortable as the "digital native" students when it comes to using the latest devices and technologies [5].
Methods. This paper is part of the initial phase of a longitudinal research study, using both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather a deeper insight into the attitudes and perceptions of international students towards teaching and learning, conducted at UPMS.
For the purposes of the current research, convenience sampling was applied, involving students who were the easiest to reach, the ones who were attending one of the courses at the Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes at that time. The international students were taking part in Medical Hungarian, the Hungarian students were attending Medical English classes. The survey was carried out during the second semester of the academic year 2018/19.
The questionnaire contained 39 questions altogether, ranging from socio-demographic information to the respondents' ideas, opinions and experiences about the teaching and learning process. The questionnaire was accessible on Google Forms, and the students were asked to participate through the Neptun Unified Education System of the University of Pécs. A total number of 226 responses were recorded.
Instruments. The online survey consisted of four major sections. The first part inquired about socio-demographics (gender, year of studies, faculty, nationality, native language and other spoken languages).
The main body of questions (separated into three sections) were centred around certain aspects of the teaching and learning process, including questions about classroom management, teaching methods, and tasks with gamification elements. A five-point Likert-scale was provided after each question, the respondents could choose the level of their agreement from "strongly agree" till "strongly disagree", leaving a "neutral" option in the middle, in case they have no definite opinion about the topic. The survey also included four open-ended questions at the end of each section, with the intent to achieve a deeper
understanding by allowing students to answer in their own words. The open-ended questions inquired about the respondents' best or worst classroom experiences and their ideas on how to make classes more effective. Students also had the opportunity to list some classroom activities they really liked or hated, and the tasks that helped them most with their studies.
Respondents. All together 226 responses were received from international and Hungarian students (133 from the former, and 93 from the latter student group), who were currently studying at UPMS in one of the following tracks: general medicine (88%), dentistry (9%) or pharmacy (3%). Most of the students were in their first (19%) and second year (54%), the rest and least represented were the third- and fourth-year students (13% and 6%, respectively). Fifth year students were also involved in the research (7%), but is must be noted that they were all in the Hungarian programme. 59% of the respondents were female, 40% were male, and one international student chose the "other" option while answering the question about their gender. Most of the students were between the ages of 19-20 (27%) and 21-25 (63%), thus belonging to the same generation (Gen Z). As a second language, the majority mentioned English and German, some noted Spanish and Italian. It is interesting to note that most of the Hungarian students only listed one or two other languages they can speak, while international students sometimes listed three or four.
Out of the 226 respondents, 93 students were native Hungarians, and 133 students belonged to a big variety of nations from all over the world, having representatives in different numbers from many countries, including (but not limited to) Norway, Iran, Jordan, South Korea, Japan and Switzerland.
Results. In the first part of the survey, students had the opportunity to express their thoughts about the ideal classroom
management. Hungarian students favoured a quiet classroom (63%), and, while many international students shared this view (50%), a considerable amount of neutrality (35%) was also indicated on their part. International and Hungarian students had almost the same opinion about the importance of getting homework, with 52% and 55% of them answering in favour, respectively. On the one hand, 56% of international students preferred to sit in groups (with 32% of them being neutral), while only 49% of the Hungarian students would have chosen it over sitting in rows (27% neutral). 57% of international students preferred interactive, practice-like classes, the percentage was only slightly lower (50%) for the Hungarian students. One of the Hungarian students wrote: "I enjoy the English classes because they are very interactive, and they do a good job in involving the students and keeping us interested in the topic". It is interesting to note that Hungarian students chose their answers more carefully than their international peers, refraining from selecting the "extremesounding" options, such as "strongly agree" and "strongly disagree". International students, on the other hand, had no reservations about expressing the extent of their agreement or disagreement. Only 13% of Hungarian students preferred a strict learning environment, similarly to the international students (17%). An international student commented: "I think that if it is a too strict environment, you will stress more than focus on learning". As Figure 1. illustrates, there was a big difference, between the two student populations regarding the form of course materials: 66% of the Hungarian students wanted books and printed materials over digitalized ones, while only 38% of the international students answered in favour. It was quite a surprising difference between the two groups, since Hungarian students are digital natives and live in a digitalized world, too, similarly to the international students.
"I prefer to use a book/notes/papers over digital materials."
Strongly... Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree
0
10
20
30
40
50
Hungarian students ■ International students
Fig. 1. Hungarian and international students' preference for digital or printed materials
During the second part of the questionnaire, students could express their opinions about the teaching process. Interestingly, 74% of the Hungarian students preferred a facilitator-like teacher. The international students also reacted in favour, but less decisively (58%). Both group disliked PowerPoint presentations (only 23% of the international students and 14% of Hungarian students wanted the teacher to use them during classes, and it is worth noting that none of the Hungarian students chose the "strongly agree" option in this case). A Hungarian student wrote: "[the teacher] should make his/her lesson interesting (making a (boring) PPT presentation is NOT that)". Getting questions during classes was important for both groups (73% of the international students and 76% of the Hungarian students answered in favour). An international student commented: "Try to let everyone answer questions so that everyone is involved in the class". 67% of the international and 57% of Hungarian students preferred to have their mistakes corrected right away. 88% of Hungarian and 87% of international students expressed the need to be able to access all course materials online, because their purpose first and foremost is to pass the course.
The third group of questions centred around tasks and activities during classes. 50% of the Hungarian and 47% of the
international students preferred teamwork over working alone. 42% of the international students preferred to be actively involved during classes (with 38% being neutral), this ratio was almost the same with the Hungarian students (40% answered in favour, and 38% stayed neutral). Interestingly, both student groups indicated an indifference about nationality while studying together (52% of the international students and 50% of the Hungarian students did not care whether they had to work together with their peers belonging to a different nationality).
As it can be seen on Figure 2, both student groups indicated a huge favour for gamification elements during classes, such as Kahoot and Quizlet. 80% of the Hungarian students and 78% of international students expressed that they loved these applications. 60% of the international students and 69% of the Hungarian students declared that they liked using their devices during classes, and that they did not see them as a distraction, but as a way to help them with their studies. A Hungarian student commented: "Quizlet helped me a lot learning Latin and practising English". An international student wrote: "I use both Quizlet and cram to make flashcards and I have felt that it has helped me a lot. I also like Kahoot because it gives an impression about what the teacher finds important during the semester".
"I like using Quizlet, Kahoot etc. during class." Strongly disagree ^ Disagree ^ Neutral Agree Strongly agree
0 20 40 60 80
Hungarian students ■ International students Fig. 2. International and Hungarian students' preference for gamification
Conclusions. Many differences can be found between the international and the Hungarian student population, yet there is one thing that irrevocably links them together, overarching the different cultures and nationalities. They are all part of Gen Z, a generation with unique traits, shaped by globalization and the feeling of connection to everyone else through the internet [16].
Based on their answers, they do seem to share many perceptions and ideas about teaching and learning, having similar learning styles, needs and requirements. Both Hungarian and international Gen Z medical students prefer to be actively involved during classes and do not mind questions, satisfying their need to get as immersed as possible in the task, thus a dynamic learning environment is quite beneficial in their case [16; 17]. They also agree that homework is an important part of practising the material. They do not mind if their mistakes are corrected right away, as they are very much used to getting immediate feedback [13]. They prefer to work together, regardless of nationality, which is interesting in the case of the non-mobile Hungarian native students, however working in multicultural groups enhances their intercultural and language competence, which are inevitable qualities for future doctors in clinical and healthcare settings [18; 19]. Halualani [9] explains that, once they become acquainted,
students do not label the interaction with their peers as intercultural, even though they might indeed belong to different cultures and nationalities. International and Hungarian students alike expressed a need to access all course materials online, helping them to study at their own leisure. Both student groups would like to use their gadgets and devices during classes, as they are an integral part of their lives. According to Shatto [16], allowing and encouraging students to use their own devices can also help creating greater engagement during classes. Both Hungarian and international students found long PowerPoint presentations boring and tedious during classes, probably due to the fact that, as members of Gen Z, they are used to receiving a lot of input at once. Therefore, focusing on a single item for an extended period of time is not easy, and long, monotonous lectures cannot really engage them [13; 10]. Gamification elements, however, had an extremely positive reception, enhancing the learning process and motivating the students, just as Hamari et al. [20] point out. Almost all students emphasized how helpful and entertaining these applications were proven to be, enhancing the educational process when used and applied correctly, as Deterding [21] explains.
All in all, it can be said that despite the differences in nationality and culture, no stark differences were found between the two
student cohorts. It is worth noting, however, that Hungarian students were a lot more cautious with their answers, and they were less decisive in many aspects than their
international peers. These findings could help educators in tailoring their classes to the needs and requirements of Gen Z medical students, regardless of nationality.
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Давыдович Анна. Преподавание и изучение медицинского венгерского и медицинского английского языка: сходства и различия. Многие венгерские и иностранные студенты, планирующие работать в сфере здравоохранения, после окончания школы выбирают медицинский факультет университета Печ для дальнейшего обучения. Программы обучения, предлагаемые медицинским факультетом университета Печ, становятся все более популярными в последние десятилетия, что приводит к быстрому увеличению числа иностранных студентов. Существует множество сходств и различий между мультикультурными и венгерскими студенческими группами, но все они имеют большие надежды, когда начинают свое обучение, и определенные представления об изучении медицинского венгерского и английского языков. Цель данной статьи -продемонстрировать результаты онлайн-опроса, проведенного на медицинском факультете университета Печ в течение 2018/19 учебного года, суть которого состояла в том, чтобы выяснить, какие методы изучения медицинского венгерского и английского языков иностранные и венгерские студенты считают лучшими. Результаты показывают, что обе студенческие группы предпочитают быть активными во время занятий, выбирают не работу в одиночку, а совместные задания и групповую работу, и максимально используют свои мобильные устройства, хотя иностранные студенты были немного активнее в некоторых аспектах по сравнению со своими венгерскими сверстниками. В целом, можно сказать, что студенты медицинского вуза, как правило, имеют общие потребности, взгляды и предпочтения, когда речь заходит об изучении медицинского венгерского и английского языков, их не смущают различные национальности, что помогает преподавателям медицинского венгерского или английского адаптировать свои занятия к стилям обучения своих студентов.
ПРЕПОДАВАНИЕ И ИЗУЧЕНИЕ МЕДИЦИНСКОГО ВЕНГЕРСКОГО И АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКОВ; МЕДИЦИНСКИЙ АНГЛИЙСКИЙ; МЕДИЦИНСКИЙ ВЕНГЕРСКИЙ; ИНОСТРАННЫЕ СТУДЕНТЫ МЕДИЦИНСКИХ ВУЗОВ; ВЕНГЕРСКИЕ СТУДЕНТЫ МЕДИЦИНСКИХ ВУЗОВ; СТИЛЬ ОБУЧЕНИЯ
Ссылка при цитировании: Давыдович А. Преподавание и изучение медицинского венгерского и медицинского английского языка: сходства и различия // Вопросы методики преподавания в вузе // Вопросы методики преподавания в вузе. 2020. Т. 9. № 34. С. 53-60. Б01: 10.18720/НиМ/188М 22278591.34.05
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