Decision Makers' Perspectives on the Language of Instruction in Medicine in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

The main language of instruction for teaching medicine in most of the Arabic-speaking countries is English then French to a lesser extent. To our knowledge, Syria is the only Arab country that uses Arabic as the language of instruction in its medical colleges. This study explored the perspectives of decision-makers on the choice of English language for medical instruction in Saudi Arabia, in addition to, the academic, economic and social impact of this choice. This paper also explores their awareness of the languages used currently and in the past for teaching medicine and what obstacles are expected if Arabic language is adopted as the language of instruction in medicine. This was a qualitative study that purposively interviewed eight decision-makers at the university, regulatory, and ministerial levels on the choice of English language for medical instruction in Saudi Arabia. The semi-structured interviews were developed and conducted by the investigators. Each interview was audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Key themes were identified by the research team, with each theme representing an idea or a position. All decision-makers expressed a positive attitude towards the choice of English for medical instruction, but there was also an overall support for a future Arabic curriculum, once obstacles are overcome. The availability of medical resources was the main factor which decision-makers agreed upon for the choice of language. There was also a consensus on the need to introduce Arabic in teaching communication skills. There is an overwhelming preference of choice for the English language over Arabic language for medical instruction. The adaptation of Arabic language was seen to have major obstacles but could be overcome through a given nationwide initiative. It is recommended to have future studies in assessing periodic changes in the perspective of choice of language in medicine.