Speaker
Description
Many students entering rehabilitation training programs in Japan report low confidence in learning English. Common challenges include limited knowledge of phonics, incomplete mastery of basic grammar, and restricted study time. Although medical English textbooks typically prioritize authenticity and native-like naturalness, they rarely consider how easy or difficult expressions may be for beginners to learn, retain, and reproduce in real clinical interactions. In contexts where exposure to English is limited, learnability and ease of recall may be as important as linguistic authenticity.
This study describes the development of a simplified set of clinical English expressions for first-year physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) students at approximately the CEFR A1–A2 level. The set focuses on expressions frequently used in patient interviews and movement instructions, and aims to make each expression as concise, learnable, and easy to pronounce as possible while preserving clinical meaning.
The study examines whether simplified expressions improve short-term retention and perceived usability compared with expressions presented in conventional textbooks.
The study design was based on principles from second language acquisition research, particularly Cognitive Load Theory and Retrieval Practice, with an emphasis on reducing processing demands and strengthening retention. Expressions were therefore selected and refined to minimize syntactic complexity, reduce phonological difficulty for Japanese L1 speakers, and facilitate active recall during classroom activities.
Version 1.0 of the shared PT/OT set consists of 60 core expressions frequently used in patient interviews and movement instructions, with an additional 20 PT-specific and 20 OT-specific expressions currently under development. The 2026 cohort will include approximately 50 PT students and 35 OT students.
Expression development followed a six-step process:
(1) extraction of frequently used clinical phrases from instructional videos produced by the Aichi Physical Therapy Association;
(2) identification of essential expressions from commercially available rehabilitation English textbooks;
(3) lexical and syntactic simplification through iterative human–AI collaboration between a medical English educator and ChatGPT;
(4) review by practicing PT and OT educators to ensure clinical relevance;
(5) confirmation of pragmatic appropriateness and politeness by native English speakers; and
(6) reduction of the expressions to a quantity realistically learnable within one academic year.
From April to July 2026, textbook expressions and simplified expressions will be taught in parallel. Post-class surveys will measure perceived ease of learning and usability, while short retention quizzes will compare recall rates between the two expression types.
By challenging the assumption that native-like naturalness is always pedagogically optimal, this project explores how highly simplified clinical expressions can support durable learning and functional English communication among rehabilitation students with limited prior exposure to English.