Beyond vocabulary
Linguistic, cognitive, and affective barriers facing international medical students in Persian-medium medical education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12738543 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sanaz Mojarrad (Shiraz University of Medical Sciences), Laleh Khojasteh (0000-0002-6393-2759, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, corresponding author), Afshin Soori (0000-0003-3050-216X, Islamic Azad University, Tehran) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-22 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-30 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Multilingualism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1479-0718 • E-ISSN: 1747-7530 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14790718.2026.2623152 |
| OpenAlex | W7126181353 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
Amidst globalising medical education, research on non-English medical language acquisition is limited. This qualitative study explored barriers for international medical students learning Medical Persian. Using a dual-phase design grounded in Interlanguage, Cognitive Load, and Sociocultural theories, we analysed reflective journals from 52 medical students (Urdu, Arabic, Hindi speakers) and conducted an expert focus group. Results revealed three primary challenges with L1-specific manifestations: lexical interference, including false cognates and vocabulary overload (92%); syntactic complexity, particularly Persian's SOV structure (79%); and affective barriers like pronunciation anxiety (75%). Students developed coping strategies such as trilingual glossaries and translanguaging. Expert analysis advocated for structured multilingual materials, explicit comparative grammar, and translanguaging-validating pedagogies. These findings demonstrate that effective support in non-English medical education must extend beyond vocabulary to address syntactic complexity and sociocultural identity through institutionalised multilingual resources and culturally responsive pedagogy, advancing a more nuanced understanding of this critical educational context.
Affect (linguistics · Cultural competence · Higher education · MEDLINE · Multilingualism · Perception · Cultural Competency in Health Care · Global Health Workforce Issues · International Student and Expatriate Challenges
Translingual Practice
Cognitive Load During Problem Solving
Translanguaging to enhance reading comprehension among first-year medical students
Persian language comprehensibility in machine translation vs. human translation in health-related multilingual context based on the Patient-oriented and Culturally-adapted (Poca) model
Evaluating linguistic comprehensibility of Persian healthcare translations in multilingual contexts
Integrating Culture and Language Learning in Institution-wide Language Programmes
The Persian Paradox
Iranian PhD students' experiences of their learning environment and scholarly condition
Thematic Analysis
| Highly cited | No |
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