Using Literature to Improve Empathy Among In-training Healthcare Professionals: A Questionnaire Study

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  • 医療系学生の共感力を高める文学教材の可能性
  • 学生による自由記述の内容分析に基づいて

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Objective: Literature has been utilized as teaching material in both medical and nursing education in the U.S.and U.K.for in-training healthcare professionals to grow personally and/or to enhance their empathy. In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings also, literature has been regarded as effective learning material that enhances students'empathy as well as language ability. These trends lead us to believe that literature in an EFL classroom is a potentially powerful tool as learning material for Japanese in-training healthcare professionals. The aims of this paper are to clarify what a reading course with a medically-themed novel could bring students based on findings obtained through content analysis, and to then show the significance of literature contributing to improved empathy among students in an EFL classroom. Methods : A descriptive questionnaire was conducted with 98students who wrote what their thoughts changed after reading the medically-themed target literature. Content analysis according to Berelson was used for data collection and analysis. Results : Analysis of the students'comments revealed eight categories : "attitudes toward the way of living and death and/or dying,""the way of reading English novels,""motivations for reading English books and learning English,""understanding the feelings of patients and the people around them, and attitudes toward both of them,""attitudes toward cross-cultural understanding,""interest in movies," and "understanding medical things such as diseases." Conclusions : The use of literature in the reading course brought about positive changes in students in terms of language, culture and personal growth, and most importantly, nourished the students'empathy, which is required both in medical professions and in the EFL classroom.

目的:英米の看護教育及び語学教育における文学の活用の現状に基づいて,日本の医療系学生対象の英語授業においても文学は有用な教材としての可能性を持つと考える.本研究の目的は、医療をテーマとした文学作品を活用した英語講読授業において,医療系学生の語学学習の役割とともに共感力向上の一助となる文学の可能性を検証することである.方法:最終授業後に依頼した学生（4クラス、98名）による自由回答式質問に対する記述を,ベレルソンの内容分析を用いてコード化し,どのような点において自己変化を認識したかについて分析した.結果:コード化された記述は,8つのカテゴリーに分類された.その中に,共感力の向上につながる可能性を示唆するカテゴリーを見出すことができた.結論:医療系学生にとって,文学作品は,語学や異文化に対する認識を高めると同時に,疑似体験を通じて共感力を高める一助となる有意義な教材としての可能性をもっていることが示唆された.

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