Targeting Oral and Cultural Proficiency for Medical Personnel: An Examination of Current Medical Spanish Textbooks

Autor/in	Hardin, Karol
Titel	Targeting Oral and Cultural Proficiency for Medical Personnel: An Examination of Current Medical Spanish Textbooks
Quelle	In: Hispania, 95 (2012) 4, S.698-713 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0018-2133
DOI	10.1353/hpn.2012.0139
Schlagwörter	Novices; Patients; Textbooks; Spanish; Language Proficiency; Oral Language; Teaching Methods; Pragmatics; Languages for Special Purposes; Medical Education; Cultural Awareness; Communicative Competence (Languages); Language Usage; Physician Patient Relationship + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Patient; Textbook; Text book; Schulbuch; Lehrbuch; Spanisch; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Pragmalinguistik; Sprachhandlungsfähigkeit; Medizinische Ausbildung; Cultural identity; Kulturelle Identität; Communicative competence; Languages; Kommunikative Kompetenz; Sprache; Sprachgebrauch; Arzt-Patient-Beziehung
Abstract	Demand for medical Spanish courses has grown with the rising needs of Spanish-speaking patients in the United States, but while there is no shortage of beginning medical Spanish textbooks, very few target the intermediate level. This article examines eighteen medical Spanish texts published in the last twenty years with respect to seven factors: 1) targeted proficiency level, 2) vocabulary, 3) oral and aural activities, 4) grammatical concepts, 5) pertinent cultural and sociolinguistic information beliefs, 6) pragmatic concepts, and 7) real-world situations. Although studies have shown negative medical outcomes associated with health providers' limited Spanish proficiency (Derose and Baker 2000; Diamond and Reuland 2009; Flores et al. 1998; Manson 1988), most texts currently aim at beginning levels. Only six of the books are designed for intermediate-level students, and only three offer communicative activities targeting oral proficiency, even though oral and cultural skills have been prioritized for prehealth professionals (Lepetit and Chicocki 2002). Likewise, cultural information is often relegated to simplified paragraphs. Beginner textbooks vary considerably and generally do not offer communicative oral activities or adequate cultural information. Recommendations are offered for improvements in future intermediate textbooks with respect to each of the targeted categories. (Contains 7 notes and 2 tables.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc. 900 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI 48390. Tel: 248-960-2180; Fax: 248-960-9570; e-mail: AATSPoffice@aatsp.org; Web site: http://www.aatsp.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10