A new classroom model for teaching medical terminology builds on a large body of research. We look at what the evidence says, and what it means for EMP lecturers and OET teachers.
In October, Diyora Isomiddinova of Tashkent State Medical University published a model for teaching medical terminology through data-driven learning (DDL). In DDL, learners study examples of real language taken from a corpus (a large, searchable collection of texts), looking at many examples together and analysing patterns to understand meaning and usage.
As others who use corpora when teaching, Isomiddinova argues that medical students need more than definitions. They need to know how often a term is used, which words it combines with (its collocations), and how it behaves in real clinical and academic texts. Her model has five stages: Notice, Investigate, Interpret, Practice and Produce. At first, the teacher prepares concordance lines (lists of examples that show a word in its context). Later, students search a corpus themselves, with guidance. Finally, they use the language in medical speaking and writing tasks.
The model is designed for classes with mixed levels of English and for learners who have not used corpus tools before. It supports the teacher’s explanations and develops students’ subject-specific language practice.
The article is a review of earlier studies – it does not test the model with real students. However, the research it draws on is large and well established.
The strongest evidence comes from a meta-analysis by Alex Boulton and Tom Cobb, published in Language Learning in 2017. A meta-analysis combines the results of many separate studies. Boulton and Cobb analysed 64 studies with more than 3,000 learners. They found large positive effects. This was true when learners were tested before and after DDL, and when DDL groups were compared with control groups.
In 2021, Boulton and Nina Vyatkina reviewed thirty years of DDL research. The idea is not new. It goes back to the highly influential work of Tim Johns and others at the University of Birmingham, who used the term in 1990.
Medical English teachers do not have to build a corpus themselves. Researchers have already produced several useful lists.
Most corpus work in medical English looks at written texts. However, many students need help developing their clinical communication skills and as do healthcare professionals studying for OET. Here, the work of Shelley Staples at the University of Arizona is especially relevant.
Staples recorded 102 nurse–patient interactions: 52 with internationally educated nurses (IENs) and 50 with nurses trained in the United States. She then compared the language that each group used (English for Specific Purposes, 2015). The main differences were not about medical vocabulary. They were connected to rapport (a good relationship with the patient) and patient-centred communication. Staples also showed that one language feature can do different jobs in different phases of a consultation. For example, nurses used first-person pronouns differently when they examined a patient and when they gave advice.
Staples then used her corpus to design a Pronunciation for Nurses course (English for Specific Purposes, 2019). The corpus informed every step: the needs analysis, the materials and the assessment. Features such as pitch range became teaching targets. This is a clear example of a complete corpus-based curriculum in healthcare English. Staples presented this work in an EALTHY and SLC webinar in 2024. The recording, slides and references are all available in the EALTHY member’s area.
For clinical communication and OET teachers, the message is simple. A corpus can show how clinicians speak: how they open a consultation, show empathy and give advice and thereby provide an effective model for learners to use.
While Isomiddinova’s model has not yet been tested in the classroom, at least in terms of her research, it offers a clear route from a strong body of research into everyday teaching.
Partnerships · International SLC director Peter Rodway recently spent a week in Uzbekistan, meeting university leaders, lecturers and students to explore opportunities for Medical English
Back to Menu ↩ Most medical English learners now study with a phone in their pocket. Many teachers and providers have moved their materials online.
Back to Menu ↩ Most people who learn medical English are already multilingual. Medical students in Riyadh, Ho Chi Minh City or Tashkent study medicine
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