Background Integrated curriculum design plays a crucial role in accelerating talent development and has attracted considerable attention from scholars both domestically and internationally. However, current research primarily focuses on the integration of professional courses, while studies on the integration of public courses remain relatively limited. Medical English, as the universal language for international medical communication, has been highly valued by medical schools in both English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. Consequently, exploring the integration of Medical English as a public course holds significant theoretical and practical value. Methods To thoroughly investigate the current status and needs of Medical English courses, this study employed a random sampling approach in the summer of 2025. A total of 23 medical schools that offered Medical English courses, were selected from different regions of China, primarily focusing on “Double Non” universities with a supplementary selection of “211” universities. Three surveys were administered to postgraduates and their supervisors. The surveys were distributed and collected via the Questionnaire Star platform, with objective question data automatically processed by the platform. Subjective responses were coded with the aid of Deepseek V3. The reliability of the questionnaires was assessed using Cronbach’s α coefficient, while coding consistency was evaluated with Cohen’s κ coefficient. A random 15% subsample was independently reviewed to validate the coding reliability. Group differences were analyzed using chi-square tests. Results Chi-square tests indicated no statistically significant differences in overall support for the integrated Medical English curriculum across respondent groups (p > 0.05), suggesting broadly consistent perceptions regarding its necessity among teachers and students. Cronbach’s α coefficients ranged from 0.74 to 0.83, reflecting acceptable to good internal consistency across all constructs. Cohen’s κ coefficients ranged from 0.77 to 0.82, indicating a substantial level of coding agreement. A manual review of a randomly selected 15% subsample showed that fewer than 6% of AI-generated codes required correction, demonstrating high overall consistency with manual coding. Descriptive statistics revealed three main findings: First, current Medical English courses were perceived to lack coherence (71.67%), with significant content repetition (73.93%). Second, there was a strong demand for integrated Medical English teaching, with 94.01% of teachers and 92.21% of postgraduates supporting this approach. Third, based on the differentiated course needs of teachers and postgraduates at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels, an integrated Medical English curriculum framework was developed, incorporating both vertical continuity and horizontal integration. Conclusion The integrated Medical English curriculum framework, developed based on the survey results, appears to offer a promising approach to addressing the current lack of systematization in Medical English courses. It may contribute to the development of internationally competent medical professionals. Furthermore, it is in alignment with national educational policies and may serve as a valuable reference for the design of Medical English curricula in other medical schools.

Construction of an integrated curriculum for Medical English based on questionnaire surveys

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2026年4月11日

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Changyou Wang

摘要

Background

Integrated curriculum design plays a crucial role in accelerating talent development and has attracted considerable attention from scholars both domestically and internationally. However, current research primarily focuses on the integration of professional courses, while studies on the integration of public courses remain relatively limited. Medical English, as the universal language for international medical communication, has been highly valued by medical schools in both English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. Consequently, exploring the integration of Medical English as a public course holds significant theoretical and practical value.

Methods

To thoroughly investigate the current status and needs of Medical English courses, this study employed a random sampling approach in the summer of 2025. A total of 23 medical schools that offered Medical English courses, were selected from different regions of China, primarily focusing on “Double Non” universities with a supplementary selection of “211” universities. Three surveys were administered to postgraduates and their supervisors. The surveys were distributed and collected via the Questionnaire Star platform, with objective question data automatically processed by the platform. Subjective responses were coded with the aid of Deepseek V3. The reliability of the questionnaires was assessed using Cronbach’s α coefficient, while coding consistency was evaluated with Cohen’s κ coefficient. A random 15% subsample was independently reviewed to validate the coding reliability. Group differences were analyzed using chi-square tests.

Results

Chi-square tests indicated no statistically significant differences in overall support for the integrated Medical English curriculum across respondent groups (p > 0.05), suggesting broadly consistent perceptions regarding its necessity among teachers and students. Cronbach’s α coefficients ranged from 0.74 to 0.83, reflecting acceptable to good internal consistency across all constructs. Cohen’s κ coefficients ranged from 0.77 to 0.82, indicating a substantial level of coding agreement. A manual review of a randomly selected 15% subsample showed that fewer than 6% of AI-generated codes required correction, demonstrating high overall consistency with manual coding. Descriptive statistics revealed three main findings: First, current Medical English courses were perceived to lack coherence (71.67%), with significant content repetition (73.93%). Second, there was a strong demand for integrated Medical English teaching, with 94.01% of teachers and 92.21% of postgraduates supporting this approach. Third, based on the differentiated course needs of teachers and postgraduates at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels, an integrated Medical English curriculum framework was developed, incorporating both vertical continuity and horizontal integration.

Conclusion

The integrated Medical English curriculum framework, developed based on the survey results, appears to offer a promising approach to addressing the current lack of systematization in Medical English courses. It may contribute to the development of internationally competent medical professionals. Furthermore, it is in alignment with national educational policies and may serve as a valuable reference for the design of Medical English curricula in other medical schools.