ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Healthcare Professions Education
Embracing Bilingualism in Healthcare Education: Key Stakeholders' Voices
Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh., Saudi Arabia
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Abstract
In recent decades, higher education institutions globally have adopted English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in various disciplines, including medicine, to achieve internationalisation and enhance access to global knowledge and markets. The implementation of EMI in medical education presents both opportunities and challenges. While it facilitates access to global medical knowledge and enhances international career mobility, linguistic and cognitive barriers exist. Thus, this study aims to understand the perceptions of stakeholders about the medium of instruction (MoI) at three medical programmes in Saudi Arabia (SA), as a non-Anglophone country. Drawing on questionnaire, interview and observation data, the findings reveal that the majority of stakeholders support EMI for developing knowledge competency, professional preparedness, and English language proficiency. However, they also expressed concerns regarding its implementation (e.g., content comprehension, time constraints). Despite these sentiments, many stakeholders advocated for a bilingual approach, leveraging both English and the students' first language (L1) to enhance knowledge comprehension in both languages and to save teaching and studying time. These findings offer valuable insights and actionable recommendations for decision-makers and stakeholders to guide effective implementation of EMI in medical education.
Summary
Keywords
bilingual education, English medium of instruction (EMI), Healthcare education, Medium of Instruction (MoI), Stakeholders perceptions
Received
16 November 2025
Accepted
28 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Alanazi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Khatmah Alanazi
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