INDIVIDUAL FACTORS OF MEDICAL PHD STUDENTS' ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE.

OBJECTIVE

The aim: The paper is aimed to find correlations between English language communicative academic and medical competence components (theoretical, practical, and individual by certain methods), to improve design of the course "Academic English for PhDs in Medicine", its methods and strategy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: The study sample includes postgraduate groups studying for PhD in Healthcare, aged 21-59 years, in Bukovinian State Medical University (39 respondents), Zaporizhzhia State Medical University (32 respondents), Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education (33 respondents), and Bogomolets National Medical University (318 respondents). The study was held in 2019-2023. We assessed theoretical and practical components using our tests, individual component - psychological methods. The values of three components were transformed into general English communicative academic and medical competence level. The data were treated with SPSS Statistica 18.0, using Spearman correlation significance.

RESULTS

Results: We found positive correlation between English communicative competence and communicative tolerance, general communicative skills level, and high or medium communicative control level. Also, positive correlation characterizes interaction as a conflict-resolving strategy and communicative competence. Highly manifested intolerance in communication, predominance of negative mindsets, intolerance to stress negatively affect the level of English communicative academic and professional competence of PhD students.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Analysis of the English speaking competence, and its components, showed positive correlation between interaction as a conflict-resolving strategy and English communicative competence of respondents. Regarding the results, the curriculum of the "Academic English for Medical PhDs" should be modified, including interactive methods, case studies, problem solving, and other methods for individual component training.