Investigating the Effectiveness of Affixes in Learning Medical Terminology among Students of Medicine: A Case Study of College of Medicine, Karary University, Sudan

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the effectiveness of word affixes in learning medical terminology among students of medicine. An experimental approach was taken for the purposes of this study by the researchers. The data were collected using a design that included a pre-test and a post-test, and they were examined utilizing the T test and the statistical program SPSS. Students at College of Medicine, Karary University, Sudan who were in their first year of studying Medicine were the main part of this study. The participants in this study were all in first year of studying medicine where English language is a medium of instruction. These students (males and females) their ages between 18 to 20 years old, the stratified random selection was made consisted of 110 freshmen participants. In this study the researchers used a pre-test and a post-test instrument (a test design) which made the classification and investigation of this study possible through (Paired Sample T. Test). The study reached several of findings such as that word affixes have an effective role in learning medical terminology, exposing medical terminology to medical students using affixes represents an effective way for comprehending these phrases, prefixes and suffixes have a vital role in the formation, comprehension, and interpretation of medical terminology, and the utilization of affixes in acquiring medical language diminishes the complexity of medical courses. The main recommendations of this study comprise: students of medicine should pay attention to the effective role of word affixes in learning medical terminology and somehow it helps them in pronouncing these terms easily, medical students should practice analyzing medical terminology into its components to comprehend its meaning, comprehending medical language necessitates an acquaintance with common medical roots, prefixes, and suffixes; hence, medical students should engage in practical study of affixes, it is essential for medical teachers to simplify the complexity of medical courses, particularly the terminologies, through the use of affixes, and it is essential for EFL educators in the medical profession to develop an introductory course on medical terminology for novice students, primarily focusing on the function of affixes.