Improving the English Oral Competence and Medical Terminology of Non-English Speaking Health Professionals with the Docs4Docs Mobile Application

Abstract

With the widespread use of mobile technology, mobile learning has garnered increasing attention. Mobile learning offers the advantage of learning anytime and anywhere, particularly in the context of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), which has ushered in a new era of language education. However, the current MALL resources are limited, which hinders nursing professionals in their quest to acquire medical English proficiency. This study aimed to enhance nursing students' medical English oral competency in terms of fluency and accuracy in the medical context and to facilitate their comprehension of medical terminology. To this end, we introduced Docs4docs, an innovative mobile learning app, in nursing English classes. We also investigated the students' learning strategies and responses to using Docs4docs. The findings revealed that the experimental group made significant improvements in both oral fluency and accuracy, particularly in fluency. Additionally, the experimental group demonstrated greater proficiency in contextual medical terms than isolated phrases. Lastly, we discussed the students' learning strategies and responses to Docs4docs.

Keywords

Mobile-assisted language learning, English for specific purposes, Nursing English, Medical terminology, Oral competence