Challenges in Teaching Medical English Vocabulary to Tertiary Students in China: A Systematic Literature Review

This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the research perspective on current medical English vocabulary teaching over the last fifteen years (from 2009 to 2023). The objective is to offer references and measures for instructors, researchers, and higher educational institutions to improve medical English vocabulary teaching. To achieve this, a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology was employed, resulting in the selection and meticulous examination of 168 articles. As identified in this review, studies conducted on medical English vocabulary have mainly been non-empirical, focusing on describing terminologies and teaching strategies and taking undergraduates as the primary research participants. The most popular effective teaching strategies identified through the review encompasses word structure, mind mapping, etymology, and multimedia. It is noteworthy that there has been a significant sharp upward research trend from 2018 to 2023. Several factors influencing medical English vocabulary teaching have been illuminated, namely, non-diverse teaching strategies/methods, inadequate course/curriculum, shortage of professional teachers, and limited needs analysis. Despite numerous studies that have focused on medical English vocabulary teaching, few were recorded in the review of it. This study presents a holistic and in-depth review on medical English vocabulary teaching in the past fifteen years, which will provide educators and higher educational institutions with comprehensive understanding of the existing research landscape and contribute valuable references to ongoing and future scholarly pursuits within this field.