ATTITUDE OF MEDICAL-STUDENTS AND POSTGRADUATE RESIDENTS AT KING-FAISAL-UNIVERSITY TOWARDS TEACHING MEDICINE IN ARABIC

Background: There is urgent need for teaching medicine in Arabic, a pr ocess which requires careful planning based on scientific basis. Most literature advocating this come from personal feelings and impressions . There are no reports of medical students' opinions and attitude towa rds this issue. Setting: The study was conducted in the College of Med icine and Medical Sciences, King faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arab ia, which uses English as the medium of instruction. Method: Medical s tudents and post-graduate residents were selected to answer a self-adm inistered questionnaire which explored their attitude towards the subj ect. Results: The students showed a positive attitude towards teaching medicine in Arabic, with varying opinions regarding when and how it s hould be done. Conclusion and recommendations: It was concluded that s tudents and residents welcomed Arabization provided it was approached gradually and with adequate planning. A gradual plan to achieve is out -lined.