Integrating Confucian Culture into Ideological and Political Education in Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Student Perspective Analysis

Qin Li¹Jiao Yan²Xiaoying Wang³Ke Li¹Xiqiao Li¹Hongnan Liu¹Jiajie Li²Yaping Wang¹Xinyue Huang²Peiming Li^2*Dongqiong Chen²

• ¹Basic Medical School, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
• ²The First School of Clinical Medicine, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
• ³Research Management Section, Kunming Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China

Background: The integration of Confucian cultural heritage into curriculum-based ideological and political education represents a pivotal reform in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) institutions, aiming to synergize humanistic literacy with professional competency. Despite theoretical advocacy, empirical data regarding student receptivity and specific knowledge gaps remain scarce. This study quantitatively analyzes students' perceptions and pedagogical preferences to provide an evidence-based framework for optimizing cultural integration in foundational TCM courses. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 645 undergraduate TCM students at Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine between September 2021 and June 2022. A validated instrument (Cronbach's α=0.825) was utilized to assess cognitive engagement, attitudes, and preferences regarding the integration of Confucian culture into the Basic Theory of Chinese Medicine course. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stratified analysis to identify variations across academic backgrounds and political affiliations. Results: The cohort was predominantly female (54.42%) and science-oriented (64.81%). While the overall cognitive assessment yielded a high score rate (91.75%), significant disparities were observed across dimensions: foundational knowledge of Confucian culture scored the lowest (75.00%), followed by attitudes toward integration (88.00%). Conversely, perceived benefits in social responsibility and professional goal setting were exceptionally high (99.00% each). Regarding implementation, students demonstrated a strong preference for teacher-led instruction (76.74%) and multimodal delivery formats (88.53%), including clinical case studies and current affairs analysis. Conclusions: The findings underscore a transition from "theoretical advocacy" to "evidence-based optimization." Effective integration requires differentiated pedagogical strategies: science-oriented students require a focus on the empirical utility and logical synergy between Confucian ethics (e.g., Ren) and clinical outcomes, while humanities-oriented students benefit from textual exegesis. To bridge identified knowledge gaps, institutions must prioritize faculty cultural competency and adopt multimodal, case-based learning to transform abstract moral theories into tangible professional.