https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 7, 2025
27
THE IMPORTANCE OF GRAMMAR IN LEARNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR
MEDICAL STUDENTS
Allamuratova Juldiz Ansatbayevna
A 2nd year Master Students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages
of Nukus State Pedagogical Institute named after Ajiniyaz
Abstract:
The article explores the role of grammar in ESP (English for Specific Purposes)
courses for medical students. Two perspectives of learners are focused in this issue; first, most of
them consider Grammar is merely long and boring exercises with exceptions to the rules,
secondly, using grammar rules in oral communication is a border to speak freely in their field.
However, this research justifies that correct usage of Grammar in both written and oral
communication play a vital role cultivating further knowledge in English language opening
chances for mastering other basic language skills. Quantitative, qualitative and testing research
methods have been utilized in order to analyze medical students’ attitude towards Grammar. The
results are examined through discussing medical learners’ perceptions about learning Grammar
in their EMP (English for Medical Purposes) course.
Keywords:
English for Specific Purposes, quantitative , qualitative, testing methods, English for
Medical Purposes, medical English, clinical communication
Introduction.
In an increasingly globalized medical field, English language competency and
effective communication in English has become crucial for medical students to achieve
professional progress and success, particularly in non-English-speaking countries. As it is said
that “ It is vital for medical students to have a strong command of English as a second language,
as it is the lingua franca of the medical community” [1:3]. In this regarding, English serves as a
primary language for medical literature, international conferences and cross-border collaboration.
It is undeniable that Grammar is a foundation in acquisition of four key language skills- listening,
speaking, reading and writing. For most of medical students, Grammatical accuracy is not just an
academic demand but a professional necessity, particularly in writing patient records, research
papers or engaging in clinical communication. However, some others deem that Grammar is an
complex and boring aspect of this language science which demotivates them to learn. Yet when
the function of grammar in language learning is looked at in a bit more detail, it should be
evident that it is not the teaching of grammar that is elitist, but the idea that all students can get
by without any formal teaching of grammar that is an elitist approach. Complexity is not an
inherent quality of grammar; grammar can be made quite simple or highly complex, depending
on how it is presented [2:1] For this reason, this study aims to make a research to identify
medical students intention to learn Grammar, their needs and opinions about the importance of
Grammar in their study. Grammar has always been controversial issue since there have been
different views and discussions regarding with the importance and function of Grammar in ESP
courses by a number of researchers. Some of them deem that the grammar of any language does
not necessarily help learners to use the language. However, Tarone and Rutherford argue that
grammar should be taught, because without some understanding of grammar, students would not
be able to communicate efficiently in English [4:1]
Methodology. This research used a mixed-method research approaches to investigate the
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 7, 2025
28
importance of grammar in English language acquisition amid medical students of Tashkent
Pediatric Medicine Institute in Nukus branch in the faculty of “Pediatrics”, “Nursing care” and
“Dentistry”. The research included quantitative survey, qualitative interviews and Grammar
assessment methods to justify theories about the value of Grammar in medical English. The
quantitative survey explored the number of students who are taught the target language and who
has IELTS certificate, then three groups were chosen to do a test on them. For interviews,we
conducted with twelve selected participants to gain deeper insights into their experiences with
English Grammar (students who have language certificate) In assessment section, a diagnostic
grammar test was administrated to evaluate proficiency and identify common areas of difficulty.
This methodological structure was created based on the previous needs-analysis questionnaire in
medical English education
Materials. Survey questionnaire is designed to identify how medical students attitude toward
grammar and its necessity to their academic and clinical assignments. The language of
questionnaire is simple and clear to answer based on their language level.
Interview guide includes open-ended questions highlighting challenges, strategies and intention
of medical students to grammar learning.
In Grammar Diagnostic Test, all three group students participated for test including grammar
topics. Variation of the questions was identical for all of them.
Results. Survey findings. The results of the study reveal a great number of key points about the
importance of grammar in English language acquisition amid medical students at the Tashkent
Pediatric Medical Institute, branch in Nukus.
The quantitative survey data, gathered from three groups of students demonstrates that 76% of
students claimed an essential role of Grammar in comprehension medical contexts. 91% of
learners reported challenges with grammatical structures in both writing and speaking process.
85% of medical students agreed that learning Grammar is necessary in their content-based ESP
course to master target language. The diagnostic grammar test found that the most common
topics of trouble are correct ordering parts of speech and identifying verb tenses. Students who
has a background knowledge and language certificates showed higher scores comparing with
those who is just learning the language in compulsory lessons. One essential point to take
account that even certified students had difficulty with finding correct answer for medical
terminology aligned with grammar questions.
In interviews with twelve participants of students supported rich insights. When it was asked
about the need of grammar in their professional context, most of them valued learning grammar
more in practical project based tasks such as designing patient histories or reading medical
articles. Many claimed that traditional methods of teaching grammar is no longer meet learners
demand instead interactive content-based approaches are valued in language learning process. A
few students reported that a fear of making grammar mistakes has always discouraged them in
discussions to speak freely which acknowledges that in teaching grammar interactive
communicative methods should be more utilized to improve active usage of grammar and
confidently represent thoughts, particularly in ESP courses
Discussion.
The survey results and findings show that the crucial role of grammar in the English language
acquisition process is acclaimed with a number of justification by medical students. The findings
highlight that grammar proficiency remarkably effect not only students’ language learning
process but self-confidence in using English language in their field. Although many students
initially considered grammar as challenging, unnecessary and irrelevant to communication
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 7, 2025
29
process, the data demonstrates otherwise. A majority of students relised this basic branch of
language as an essential component for comprehension of medical content and participation in
written and oral projects. All above mentioned outcomes suggest that in organizing ESP or EMP
courses, teachers should focus on firstly, students’ needs and demands, their weak points in
target language and clearly outline the course module based on learners’ sphere using interactive
and modern methods and techniques which meet 21st century’s high standarts.
By analyzing the outcomes of survey, now it is evident that in effective teaching grammar for
EMP students lie well-established and relevantly selected teaching approaches which aid to
organize contemporary language learning courses. As the programs of Teaching English for
Specific Purposes are modernizing and emphasizing more about using technology based learning
system, new high effective methods are being implemented to each English classroom such as
content-language integrated method, flipped classroom, tactile learning, VAK learning and
collaborative learning methods which can be efficiently used in teaching medical students
associating their professional content. These methods can find a solution for the difficulties of
medical students as mentioned above results of study.
Conclusion.
Taking into account all the outcomes and findings discussed, it has become
obvious that the grammar is a cornerstone in learning English language for medical purposes as a
language for global stages. This study represents a shift in students’ mindset towards grammar
grasping its influence on academic and medical communication. Enough attainment of grammar
remarkably assist medicals in sharpening reading and writing skills to comprehend and reply to
patient and formal reports, medical literature as well communicating in not merely in
professional contexts but in daily life conversations.
Another substantial point to highlight that according to confirms of analysis, the effective
grammar methods in organizing EMP courses relies interactive, learner-centered approaches
declining outdated limited action methods.
As Syvak notes , “Without any grammar, we could manage to produce some sort of elementary
communication, such as "Me Tarzan, you Jane", but we would be unable to form any more
complex ideas into words. It follows therefore that to progress beyond fairly basic levels of
expression, learners of any language - whether it be their native language or a foreign language -
need to master the essential grammatical rules and principles” [1:2]. This perception supports the
idea that in medicine where clarity and accuracy play an important role, grammar is not elective
but indispensable for development in language level. For this case, instruction of grammar for
medical students should be given priority with innovative, content-based methods that serves as a
bridge between the language and professional practice.
References
1. Nurlibaeva N., Tajieva A. THE SPECIFICS OF TEACHING ENGLISH TO MEDICAL
STUDENTS //Modern Science and Research. – 2024. – Т. 3. – №. 2. – С. 589-594.
2. Pavel E. Teaching English for medical purposes. 2014
3. Syvak O. Importance of Grammar in ESP //Science and Education a New Dimension.
Philology. – 2018. – Т. 6. – №. 54. – С. 183.
4. Urokova, N. N. (2024). Developing medical students’ grammatical and lexical competencies
in English. Galaxy International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 12(5), pp. 95–100.
