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

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the medical textbook Good Practice: Communication Skills in English for the Medical Practitioner in enhancing language learning and teaching among medical students in a Palestinian context. It specifically assessed the textbook's content alignment, task appropriateness, grammar and vocabulary clarity, and the availability of Supplemental materials, addressing the research gap in evaluating the effectiveness of medical textbooks for language learning and communication skill development in nonnative English-speaking medical students, particularly in Palestine.

Methods: Data were collected from 216 medical students at a Palestinian university using a structured questionnaire. The survey, originally comprising 26 items, was refined to 13 items following measurement scale and factor loading analysis. The refined items focused on three core dimensions: communication proficiency (COM), content and features (CON), and language clarity (LAC). Statistical analysis explored the relationships between these dimensions and examined the moderating effects of gender and academic level.

Results: The findings revealed significant positive relationships between textbook content and communication proficiency and between communication proficiency and language clarity. Gender significantly moderated the relationship between communication proficiency and language clarity, with female students demonstrating higher acceptance rates. However, the academic level showed no significant moderating effect.

Conclusion: The study highlights the critical role of comprehensive content, effective communication strategies, and clear language in medical textbooks. It emphasizes the need to consider gender-based communication preferences and sociocultural factors when developing and assessing educational materials for medical students.

Keywords: communication proficiency; content alignment; gender differences; language clarity; medical textbooks.

Figure 1.

Path Results (Factor Loadings, P) for the Outer Model and (β, P) for the Inner Model. COM: Communication Proficiency, CON: Content and Features, LAC: Language Clarity and Resource Utilization.