Copy igh © 2025 Zanjan Uni e si y o Medical Sciences. Published by Zanjan Uni e si y o Medical Sciences.
This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial 4.0 In e na ional license (h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-
nc/4.0/). Noncomme cial uses o he wo k a e pe mi ed, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
B idging language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized TMI model o
in e na ional s uden s in adi ional Chinese medicine
Hengzhi Hu1, Ha wa i Hashim1,2* , Xiaoyan Li3
1Facul y o Educa ion, Uni e si i Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
2Uni e si y Resea ch G oup on Eduxcellence: De elopmen o Inno a i e Cu iculum & Pedagogy, Uni e si i Kebangsaan Malaysia,
Bangi, Malaysia
3School o T adi ional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Second Medical Uni e si y, Wei ang, China
A icle in o Abs ac
In oduc ion
The globaliza ion o highe educa ion has led o a no able
inc ease in he en ollmen o in e na ional s uden s in
T adi ional Chinese Medicine (TCM) p og ams in
China, p ima ily om Asia and A ica [1]. TCM is a
medical discipline ha encompasses he bal medicine,
acupunc u e, massage, and a ious adi ional healing
p ac ices. Mas e y o his ield o en equi es specialized
knowledge ha di e s om ha o mode n Wes e n
medicine [2]. In Chinese highe educa ion, TCM cou ses
a e gene ally augh in ei he Chinese o English as he
lingua anca. Howe e , he medical e minology and
discipline-speci ic language used in hese cou ses can be
complex and qui e di e en om e e yday Chinese o
English. This p esen s signi ican challenges o s uden s
who a e non-na i e speake s o ei he language, a ec ing
hei abili y o comp ehend specialized con en , engage
in c i ical hinking, and de elop a nuanced cul u al
unde s anding o TCM [3, 4]. To add ess hese linguis ic
and cogni i e ba ie s, we de eloped and implemen ed a
pedagogical model ha in eg a es Con en and Language
In eg a ed Lea ning (CLIL) wi h Ta ge -Language-
Medium Ins uc ion (TMI). This CLIL-based TMI model
is speci ically designed o imp o e in e na ional
s uden s’ unde s anding o TCM by simul aneously
enhancing hei medical knowledge and language
p o iciency wi hin a s uc u ed and suppo i e lea ning
en i onmen .
Ma e ials & Me hods
CLIL, o Con en and Language In eg a ed Lea ning, is
a pedagogical app oach ha combines con en and
language lea ning, allowing s uden s o enhance hei
subjec -speci ic knowledge and Fo eign Language (L2)
p o iciency while also p omo ing cul u al awa eness and
A icle his o y:
Recei ed 11 Dec. 2024
Accep ed 5 Ap . 2025
Published 14 Ap . 2025
Hu e al. J Med Edu De . 2025; 18(1): 140-146 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen
Backg ound & Objec i e: The inc easing numbe o in e na ional s uden s s udying
T adi ional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China has b ough o ligh challenges ela ed o he
linguis ic complexi y and specialized e minology o TCM cou ses, which a e p ima ily
conduc ed in Chinese o English. This Sho Communica ion pape p esen s an inno a i e
eaching model ha combines language ins uc ion wi h subjec -speci ic con en o add ess
hese challenges.
Ma e ials & Me hods: The model was implemen ed wi h 128 in e na ional s uden s a a
Chinese uni e si y. Da a collec ion in ol ed es s assessing English and Chinese language
skills, TCM knowledge, and s uden sa is ac ion h ough a ques ionnai e.
Resul s: S uden s showed signi ican imp o emen s in language p o iciency and TCM
knowledge. Responses om he ques ionnai es indica ed high le els o sa is ac ion, wi h
pa icipan s no ing ad ancemen s in hei linguis ic skills, mas e y o con en , and cul u al
unde s anding.
Conclusion: In eg a ing language suppo in o subjec -speci ic eaching e ec i ely add esses
challenges in in e na ional TCM educa ion, o e ing a eplicable model o simila con ex s.
Keywo ds: adi ional Chinese medicine, highe educa ion, medical educa ion, CLIL, TMI
*Co esponding au ho :
Ha wa i Hashim, Facul y o
Educa ion, Uni e si i Kebangsaan
Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia .Uni e si y
Resea ch G oup on Eduxcellence:
De elopmen o Inno a i e
Cu iculum & Pedagogy, Uni e si i
Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi,
Malaysia.
Email: ha wa [email protected]
Sho Communica ion
How o ci e his a icle:
Hu H, Hashim H, Li X. B idging
language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized
TMI model o in e na ional s uden s
in adi ional Chinese medicine. J Med
Edu De . 2025; 18(1): 140-146.
[ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.140 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
1 / 7
Hu e al
.
: B idging language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized TMI model o in e na ional s uden s in adi ional Chinese
medicine
Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 141
cogni i e de elopmen . TMI, o Ta ge Language
Ins uc ion, e e s o using a a ge language (usually he
s uden s’ L2) o each academic subjec s o he han he
language i sel [5]. In his con ex , we adop ed a CLIL-
ized TMI app oach o en ich adi ional TMI—which
ypically ocuses exclusi ely on con en lea ning in he
s uden s’ L2—by inco po a ing in en ional language
ins uc ion. The CLIL-ized TMI model (Figu e 1) is buil
upon i e co e p inciples in TCM lea ning:
Figu e 1. CLIL-ized EMI model o TCM eaching
Con en
Con en p inciple emphasizes deli e ing accu a e and
comp ehensi e subjec knowledge in TCM, ensu ing ha
s uden s unde s and key medical concep s and p ac ices.
I e lec s he subjec -knowledge-o ien ed na u e o
CLIL-ized TMI, wi h con en mas e y emaining he
p ima y ocus [6]. Lessons a e designed o sys ema ically
in oduce ounda ional heo ies o TCM while g adually
inco po a ing complex concep s, allowing s uden s o
de elop a obus unde s anding o adi ional medical
p ac ices
Communica ion
Communica ion sugges s p o iding in en ional L2
language suppo du ing TCM ins uc ion o acili a e
con en lea ning. The “language o lea ning” e e s o he
specialized medical ocabula y and s uc u es necessa y
o comp ehend TCM con en , while he “language o
lea ning” encompasses he unc ional language needed
o discussions, epo w i ing, and explaining medical
concep s. Bo h aspec s a e explici ly add essed in he
cu iculum. By implemen ing ocabula y p e- eaching,
sca olding complex e minology, and modeling key
Ta ge Language (TL) s uc u es, s uden s enhance hei
linguis ic accu acy and luency in medical discou se. As
a esul , language h ough lea ning is os e ed [7],
meaning s uden s na u ally acqui e linguis ic
compe ence as hey in e ac wi h au hen ic TCM
ma e ials and apply medical concep s in eal-wo ld
scena ios.
[ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.140 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
2 / 7
Hu e al.: B idging language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized TMI model o in e na ional s uden s in adi ional Chinese
medicine
142 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025
Collabo a ion
Collabo a ion emphasizes he pa ne ship be ween TCM
eache s and language ins uc o s o add ess he
linguis ic needs o in e na ional s uden s e ec i ely.
While TCM ins uc o s a e expe s in hei ield, hey
may no always be p epa ed o each language explici ly.
As a esul , language eache s play a c ucial ole in
iden i ying he speci ic linguis ic challenges ha s uden s
encoun e and in in eg a ing app op ia e language
suppo wi hin specialized cou ses [8]. This
in e disciplina y collabo a ion s eng hens ins uc ional
quali y and ensu es ha bo h con en and language
objec i es a e me .
Cul u e
Cul u e highligh s he impo ance o os e ing s uden s’
app ecia ion o he his o ical, philosophical, and cul u al
unde pinnings o TCM. Gi en ha TCM is deeply oo ed
in Chinese his o y and philosophy, unde s anding he
cul u al con ex is essen ial o g asping i s p inciples [2].
This p inciple is ope a ionalized by inco po a ing
discussions abou cul u al adi ions, his o ical e olu ion,
and he philosophical ounda ions o TCM in o he
cu iculum. By connec ing TCM con en wi h L2
communica ion, s uden s no only enhance hei
linguis ic compe ence bu also cul i a e a deepe
app ecia ion o he sociocul u al dimensions o
adi ional medicine.
Cogni ion
Cogni ion unde lines he p omo ion o highe -o de
hinking skills while suppo ing s uden s in managing he
cogni i e demands o lea ning bo h TCM con en and
L2(s). CLIL-ized TMI os e s c i ical hinking by
encou aging s uden s o analyze medical ex s, compa e
di e en ea men philosophies, and engage in p oblem-
sol ing ac i i ies. Gi en he dual challenge o acqui ing
medical knowledge while mas e ing an addi ional
language, ins uc ional sca olding is implemen ed o
help s uden s manage cogni i e load e ec i ely [9, 10].
Lessons include s uc u ed discussions, case analyses,
and inqui y-based lea ning asks o enhance s uden s'
abili y o apply heo e ical knowledge o p ac ical
medical scena ios. By syn hesizing hese i e p inciples,
CLIL-ized TMI c ea es a comp ehensi e, in e ac i e,
and s uden -cen e ed lea ning en i onmen ha enhances
bo h subjec -speci ic knowledge and language
p o iciency. This in eg a ed app oach equips s uden s
wi h linguis ic and cogni i e skills necessa y o
academic success, p o essional communica ion, and
clinical p ac ice in mul icul u al heal hca e se ings.
Implemen a ion
We implemen ed CLIL-ized TMI a a Chinese uni e si y
wi h 128 eshmen, aged 20–22, om di e se
backg ounds, including Pakis an (n = 35), Kazakhs an (n
= 22), Nige ia (n = 30), Ghana (n = 20), and Kenya (n =
21). They we e en olled in ou TCM classes selec ed
based on he ollowing c i e ia: (1) en ollmen in he
uni e si y’s English-medium TCM p og am, (2)
willingness o pa icipa e in he s udy wi h in o med
consen , (3) comple ion o a p e-assessmen on language
p o iciency and p io knowledge o TCM, and (4)
ep esen a ion o di e se linguis ic and cul u al
backg ounds o ensu e a comp ehensi e unde s anding
o a ied lea ning needs. The implemen a ion las ed one
academic semes e and ocused on ounda ional
knowledge o TCM. The lea ne s’ English p o iciency
was assessed a he B1-B2 le el acco ding o he
Common Eu opean F amewo k o Re e ence o
Languages scale, an in e na ional s anda d o desc ibing
L2 abili y. Thei Chinese p o iciency co esponded o
Le el 4 on he Chinese P o iciency Tes (Hanyu
Shuiping Kaoshi, HSK), China’s s anda dized
assessmen o non-na i e speake s o S anda d Chinese,
indica ing a mode a e le el o TL p o iciency.
Addi ionally, we in ol ed ano he coho wi h a simila
composi ion and compa able le els o TL and TCM
con en p o iciency, which ecei ed egula TMI. The
con ol g oup consis ed o 123 eshmen om Pakis an
(n = 30), Kazakhs an (n = 25), Nige ia (n = 25), Ghana
(n = 24), and Kenya (n = 19), all o whom had he same
le el o English and Chinese p o iciency and TCM
con en knowledge as he CLIL-ized TMI g oup.
Howe e , he ins uc ion o his g oup ollowed a
con en ional TMI app oach, in which con en deli e y
p io i ized subjec ma e wi hou explici language
suppo . Unlike he CLIL-ized TMI g oup, s uden s in
his con ol g oup elied solely on adi ional lec u es and
di ec ins uc ion and we e expec ed o independen ly
na iga e he linguis ic challenges associa ed wi h
lea ning TCM in English o Chinese, wi hou he bene i
o s uc u ed sca olding o language- ocused
in e en ions. Bo h g oups we e augh by he same
ins uc o , who had ex ensi e expe ience eaching TCM
o in e na ional s uden s. They ollowed he same
cu iculum and used iden ical eaching ma e ials,
including p esc ibed bilingual ex books, eache -
p epa ed handou s, and supplemen a y mul imedia
[ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.140 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
3 / 7
Hu e al
.
: B idging language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized TMI model o in e na ional s uden s in adi ional Chinese
medicine
Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 143
esou ces. We adminis e ed he TCM-English
P o iciency Tes , he TCM-Chinese Tes , and he TCM
Basics Tes a e he implemen a ion o bo h he a ge
s uden coho ( ea men g oup) and he con ol g oup.
These es s we e adap ed om au hen ic s anda dized
es ba e ies in China [11-13], wi h modi ica ions made
o align hem wi h he Teaching objec i es. No ably, he
TCM Basics Tes was adminis e ed in ei he Chinese o
English, based on he s uden s’ p e e ed language o
compe ence, o ensu e an accu a e assessmen o hei
con en lea ning ou comes. Addi ionally, we dis ibu ed
a ques ionnai e adap ed om Sinaga and Maisa ah [14]
o assess s uden s’ pe cep ions o CLIL-ized TMI. All
ins umen s we e e iewed by expe s o ensu e ace
alidi y, and a pilo s udy was conduc ed o con i m he
es - e es eliabili y o he assessmen s and he in e nal
consis ency o he ques ionnai e.
Resul s
The collec ed da a we e analyzed using he S a is ical
Package o he Social Sciences o bo h desc ip i e and
in e en ial analyses, wi h pa icula emphasis on
be ween-g oup compa isons. An independen samples -
es was conduc ed o de e mine whe he CLIL-ized TMI
demons a ed supe io e ec i eness compa ed o egula
TMI. The esul s (Table 1) indica e ha he CLIL-ized
TMI model was signi ican ly mo e e ec i e in
imp o ing s uden lea ning ou comes han egula TMI.
Speci ically, s uden s in he CLIL-ized TMI g oup
ou pe o med hose in he egula TMI g oup in English
lis ening (p < 0.001), ocabula y (p < 0.001), eading (p
< 0.001), ansla ion (p < 0.001), w i ing (p < 0.001), and
o e all p o iciency (p < 0.001), demons a ing
s a is ically signi ican di e ences ac oss hese language
domains. Simila ly, s uden s ecei ing CLIL-ized TMI
achie ed highe sco es in Chinese lis ening (p < 0.001),
eading (p < 0.001), w i ing (p = 0.011), and o e all
p o iciency (p < 0.001), indica ing ha he model had a
subs an ial impac on imp o ing s uden s’ TL
p o iciency in bo h English and Chinese. In addi ion o
linguis ic gains, he CLIL-ized TMI g oup also exhibi ed
supe io con en lea ning ou comes. They no only
achie ed highe o e all sco es in TCM undamen als (p
ac oss mul iple dimensions, including basic TCM
concep s and heo ies (p < 0.001), TCM o ma ion and <
0.001) bu also demons a ed deepe comp ehension
de elopmen (p < 0.001), TCM cha ac e is ics (p <
0.001), essence and Qi, Yin-Yang and he i e elemen s
(p < 0.001), and he heo y o isce al mani es a ions (p
< 0.001). These indings highligh he dual bene i s o
CLIL-ized TMI and ein o ce i s po en ial o imp o e
bo h language p o iciency and subjec knowledge
acquisi ion in in e na ional TCM educa ion.
The ques ionnai e esul s indica e s ongly posi i e
s uden pe cep ions o he CLIL-ized TMI model. A
majo i y o s uden s ag eed o s ongly ag eed ha he
cou se deepened hei TCM knowledge (84%), wi h 81%
epo ing an imp o ed unde s anding o he cu iculum
con en . These indings sugges ha in eg a ing language
suppo wi h subjec -speci ic ins uc ion enhances
s uden s' abili y o g asp complex medical concep s.
Simila ly, he CLIL-ized TMI model was seen as
ad an ageous o language de elopmen , wi h 73% o
s uden s acknowledging imp o emen s in hei English
p o iciency and 69% epo ing gains in hei English
knowledge ela ed o hei majo . Addi ionally, 77% o
s uden s indica ed enhanced p o iciency in Chinese,
unde sco ing he dual-language bene i s o he model.
Beyond linguis ic and con en knowledge, s uden s also
no ed imp o emen s in cul u al awa eness and cogni i e
skills. App oxima ely 82% o esponden s el he cou se
en iched hei cul u al unde s anding o TCM, while
84% exp essed a deepe app ecia ion o TCM cul u e.
These indings unde sco e he model’s e ec i eness in
os e ing no only linguis ic and disciplina y lea ning bu
also cul u al compe ence, a c ucial aspec o s udying
adi ional medicine. Fu he mo e, 84% o s uden s
ag eed ha he cou se enhanced hei p oblem-sol ing
and c i ical easoning abili ies, and 81% epo ed an
imp o ed abili y o e alua e and analyze TCM cases.
Finally, he high pe cen age o s uden s (80%) who
epo ed inc eased in e es in TCM, along wi h he
o e all e ec i eness o he cu iculum (88%), sugges s
ha he CLIL-ized TMI model plays a c ucial ole in
enhancing lea ning mo i a ion. Toge he , hese esul s
con i m ha he model success ully in eg a es con en
mas e y, language de elopmen , cul u al awa eness, and
cogni i e skills, making i a highly e ec i e app oach o
in e na ional TCM educa ion.
[ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.140 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
4 / 7
Hu e al.: B idging language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized TMI model o in e na ional s uden s in adi ional Chinese
medicine
144 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025
Table 1. Resul s o CLIL-ized TMI implemen a ion
S a is ics
Tes
Sec ion
Regula TMI
CLIL-ized TMI
p- alue
M
SD
M
SD
TCM-English p o iciency es
Lis ening (ou o 15)
8.73
1.27
11.09
1.30
0.000
Vocabula y (ou o 15)
8.46
1.04
11.46
1.29
0.000
Reading (ou o 30)
20.36
1.63
24.00
0.63
0.000
T ansla ion (ou o 25)
15.82
0.60
19.82
1.17
0.000
W i ing (ou o 15)
8.55
0.93
11.36
1.36
0.000
To al
61.91
3.65
77.73
4.56
0.000
TCM-Chinese es
Lis ening (ou o 50)
29.09
3.73
33.64
2.20
0.000
Reading (ou o 50)
31.55
1.29
35.50
1.30
0.000
W i ing (ou o 100)
76.73
2.02
79.23
2.14
0.011
To al
137.36
3.02
148.36
3.59
0.000
TCM Basics Tes
(each sec ion is alloca ed 20
ma ks)
Basic TCM Concep s/Theo ies
14.27
0.47
17.00
0.45
0.000
TCM Fo ma ion and
De elopmen
13.09
1.87
15.55
1.64
0.000
TCM Cha ac e is ics
11.82
0.98
13.91
1.38
0.000
Essence and Qi, Yin-Yang, and
he Fi e Elemen s
13.18
0.41
15.91
.83
0.000
Theo y o Visce al Mani es a ions
12.36
0.92
14.64
1.21
0.000
To al
64.73
1.85
77.00
2.90
0.000
Ques ionnai e
S a is ics
I em
S ongly disag ee
Disag ee
Neu al
Ag ee
S ongly ag ee
This cou se deepens my TCM
knowledge.
3% (n = 4)
5% (n = 7)
8% (n = 10)
38% (n = 48)
46% (n = 59)
I can unde s and he TCM
con en s o he cu iculum.
5% (n = 6)
6% (n = 8)
8% (n = 10)
41% (n = 53)
40% (n = 51)
This cou se imp o es my
English p o iciency.
5% (n = 7)
9% (n = 11)
13% (n = 17)
40% (n = 51)
33% (n = 42)
This cou se imp o es my
knowledge o English in my
majo .
7% (n = 9)
10% (n = 13)
14% (n = 18)
41% (n = 52)
28% (n = 36)
This cou se imp o es my
Chinese p o iciency.
5% (n = 7)
6% (n = 8)
12% (n = 15)
41% (n = 52)
36% (n = 46)
This cou se imp o es my
knowledge o Chinese in my
majo .
8% (n = 10)
13% (n = 17)
16% (n = 21)
33% (n = 42)
30% (n = 38)
This cou se enhances my
cul u al unde s anding o
TCM.
3% (n = 4)
6% (n = 8)
9% (n = 11)
38% (n = 49)
44% (n = 56)
This cou se deepens my
app ecia ion o TCM cul u e.
1% (n = 2)
4% (n = 5)
11% (n = 14)
48% (n = 61)
36% (n = 46)
This cou se enhances my
p oblem-sol ing and c i ical
easoning in TCM.
2% (n = 3)
4% (n = 5)
10% (n = 13)
45% (n = 57)
39% (n = 50)
This cou se enhances my
abili y o e alua e and analyze
TCM cases.
4% (n = 5)
6% (n = 8)
9% (n = 12)
36% (n = 46)
45% (n = 57)
This cou se inc eases my
in e es in TCM.
3% (n = 4)
5% (n = 6)
12% (n = 15)
38% (n = 49)
42% (n = 54)
I hink he cu iculum is
e ec i e.
1% (n = 2)
3% (n = 4)
8% (n = 10)
48% (n = 61)
40% (n = 51)
No e: Independen samples - es was used o compa e he e ec i eness o CLIL-ized TMI and egula TMI ac oss di e en es componen s.
Abb e ia ions: M, mean; SD, s anda d de ia ion; CLIL, con en and language in eg a ed lea ning; TMI, a ge -language-medium ins uc ion; TCM, adi ional Chinese
medicine; p- alue, P obabili y alue; n, numbe o pa icipan s.
[ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.140 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
5 / 7
Hu e al
.
: B idging language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized TMI model o in e na ional s uden s in adi ional Chinese
medicine
Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 145
Conclusion
CLIL-ized TMI p o ides a p ac ical solu ion o
imp o ing medical educa ion o in e na ional s uden s
by add essing he dual challenge o mas e ing complex
medical con en while de eloping p o iciency in he
language o ins uc ion. This app oach acili a es
s uden s’ acquisi ion o specialized medical knowledge
while imp o ing hei language skills, cul u al
unde s anding, and c i ical hinking—skills essen ial o
e ec i e global medical p ac ice. Howe e , scaling up
he CLIL-ized TMI model necessi a es ca e ul planning
and execu ion. Ins i u ions mus go beyond adding
language suppo o con en eaching and unde ake a
sys ema ic edesign o hei educa ional amewo ks.
Medical educa o s need specialized aining o
seamlessly in eg a e medical con en wi h TL
ins uc ion, suppo ed by ins i u ional in es men s in
esou ces such as bilingual glossa ies and cus omized
ex books. Collabo a ion be ween medical and language
expe s is essen ial o ensu e ha ins uc ion aligns wi h
bo h he linguis ic and p o essional needs o s uden s.
Implemen ing CLIL-ized TMI demands a shi in
pedagogy o p epa e s uden s no jus o academic
achie emen bu o meaning ul con ibu ions o he
global heal hca e ield.
Despi e i s p omising ou comes, he implemen a ion o
CLIL-ized TMI p esen s ce ain limi a ions. The s udy
was conduc ed a a single Chinese uni e si y, limi ing
he gene alizabili y o indings o ins i u ions wi h
di e en s uden demog aphics, cu icula s uc u es,
and eaching esou ces. Fu u e esea ch should examine
i s applicabili y ac oss di e se educa ional se ings,
including hose wi h a ying le els o English and
Chinese language suppo . Compa a i e s udies ac oss
disciplines such as Wes e n medicine, pha macy, and
nu sing could u he e ine he model o be e mee he
needs o a ious p o essional ields. Addi ionally, while
his s udy elied on quan i a i e assessmen s and s uden
pe cep ions, i did no include di ec class oom
obse a ions o quali a i e insigh s om ins uc o s.
Fu u e esea ch should in eg a e class oom discou se
analysis, ins uc o e lec ions, and case s udies o
achie e a deepe unde s anding o he eaching and
lea ning dynamics wi hin he CLIL-ized TMI model.
Longi udinal s udies e alua ing he long- e m impac on
s uden s’ p o essional and linguis ic de elopmen would
also yield aluable insigh s. Finally, e ec i e
implemen a ion equi es ins i u ional suppo , including
well- ained educa o s, su icien eaching ma e ials, and
ongoing p o essional de elopmen . Es ablishing
in e disciplina y collabo a ion be ween medical and
language educa o s, de eloping s anda dized bilingual
esou ces, and in eg a ing CLIL me hodologies in o
na ional educa ion policies a e essen ial o sus aining
and scaling his app oach in in e na ional TCM
educa ion.
E hical conside a ions
E hical app o al was ob ained om he Resea ch E hics
Commi ee o Shandong Second Medical Uni e si y
(E hics Code: SS2024REC-014), and in o med consen
was ga he ed om all pa icipan s in he s udy.
A i icial in elligence u iliza ion o a icle
w i ing
No gene a i e a i icial in elligence ools we e u ilized in
he concep ualiza ion, d a ing, o edi ing o his
manusc ip . All con en , including he analysis,
in e p e a ion, and w i ing, was exclusi ely c ea ed by
he au ho s. S anda d p oo eading ools we e used o
g amma and o ma ing checks.
Acknowledgmen
The esea ch was unded by he Facul y o Educa ion,
Uni e si i Kebangsaan Malaysia, wi h he g an code
GG-2024-030.
Con lic o in e es s a emen
The au ho s decla ed no con lic s o in e es .
Au ho con ibu ions
Hu H concep ualized he s udy, designed he
me hodology, collec ed and analyzed he da a, and
d a ed he ini ial manusc ip . Hashim H p o ided c i ical
e isions, supe ised he s udy, and con ibu ed o he
e inemen o he esea ch amewo k. Li X assis ed in
da a in e p e a ion, li e a u e e iew, and manusc ip
edi ing. All au ho s e iewed and app o ed he inal
e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding & Suppo ing esou ces
This s udy ecei ed assis ance om he Facul y o
Educa ion, Uni e si i Kebangsaan Malaysia, and he
School o T adi ional Chinese Medicine, Shandong
Second Medical Uni e si y. The unding body had no
ole in he s udy design, da a collec ion, analysis,
in e p e a ion, o manusc ip w i ing.
[ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.140 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
6 / 7
Hu e al.: B idging language and lea ning: A CLIL-ized TMI model o in e na ional s uden s in adi ional Chinese
medicine
146 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025
Da a a ailabili y s a emen
The da a used in he s udy a e a ailable om he
co esponding au ho upon easonable eques .
Re e ences
1. Zhang J, Zhou S, Pan H, Yan L, Rao Y, Liang S.
Repo on he p ese a ion and inno a ion de elopmen
o adi ional Chinese medicine. 2023. [Online].
A ailable om:
h ps://www.pishu.com.cn/skwx_ps/bookde ail?Si eID
=14&ID=15073424. [Accessed on Oc . 23, 2024].
2. Wang X, Ed. Chinese medicine. Beijing: People’s
Medical Publishing House; 2021. [Online]. A ailable
om: h ps://m.bookschina.com/8527099.h m.
[Accessed on Oc . 15, 2024].
3. Xu J, Zhang T, Ge S, Zhang S. Resea ch on he
ba ie s and coun e measu es in de eloping he
in e na ional educa ion o Chinese medicine.
Cu iculum and Teaching Me hodology. 2021;4(1):32–
37. [h ps://doi.o g/10.23977/cu m.2021.040106]
4. Fan Y, Zhang S. Explo a ion on he cons uc ion o
bilingual eache de elopmen sys em o o eign
s uden s in uni e si y o adi ional Chinese medicine
based on he CLIL heo y. Chinese Medicine Mode n
Dis ance Educa ion o China. 2024;22(7):27-29.
[h ps://doi.o g/10.3969/j.issn.1672-2779.2024.07.009]
5. Vanis ee M. New ends in English language eaching
& lea ning. Bhopal: AGPH books; 2023.
6. Hu H. Eme ging om con en and language
in eg a ed lea ning and English-medium ins uc ion, is
CLIL-ised EMI he nex end o educa ion? Highe
Lea ning Resea ch Communica ions. 2023;13(2):1–8.
[h ps://doi.o g/10.18870/hl c. 13i2.1422]
7. Coyle D, Meye O. Beyond CLIL: Plu ili e acies
eaching o deepe lea ning. Camb idge: Camb idge
Uni e si y P ess; 2021.
[h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/9781108914505]
8. Almushwa R, Elkou H. Language ba ie s in
s udying medicine in English: conce ns and a i udes o
clinical phase medical s uden s a he Uni e si y o
T ipoli. AlQalam Jou nal o Medical and Applied
Sciences. 2024;7(4):1022-1030.
[h ps://doi.o g/10.54361/ajmas.247418]
9. Zhou X. The explo a ion o CLIL eaching mode
unde he backg ound o he e o m o oca ional
educa ion. Jou nal o Sou he n Voca ional Educa ion.
2020;10(5):84–89. [h ps://doi.o g/10.3969/j.issn.2095-
073X.2020.05.014]
10. Alimjano a LX, Nosi o a UK. Con en -based
ins uc ion in language eaching in ela ion wi h CLIL:
implemen a ion and ou come. Cen al Asian Resea ch
Jou nal o In e disciplina y S udies. 2022;2(1):392-
399. [h ps://doi.o g/10.24412/2181-2454-2022-1-392-
399]
11. Ding N, Ed. TCM English p o iciency es syllabus
( ial) — wi h mock es pape s. “Chinese Medicine
English P o iciency Tes ” P ojec P epa a o y G oup.
2016. [Online]. A ailable om:
h ps://e p.s lep.cn/public/p oduc /ebook ial/97875446
44686.pd . [Accessed on No . 1, 2024].
12. Cen e o Language Educa ion and Coope a ion,
Chinese Tes ing In e na ional, Eds. The medical
Chinese p o iciency es (MCT). Beijing: Highe
Educa ion P ess; 2020. [Online]. A ailable om:
h ps://www.hep.com.cn/book/show/53 1d3e6-0926-
4163-8eda- ee6ad48ad69. [Accessed on No . 2, 2024].
13. Zheng H, Yang Z, Eds. Basic heo y o adi ional
Chinese medicine exe cises. Beijing: China Associa ion
o Chinese Medicine; 2022. [Online]. A ailable om:
h ps://m.bookschina.com/8932999.h m. [Accessed on
Oc . 28, 2024].
14. Sinaga IRV, Maisa ah I. EMI o in e na ional
class: how do s uden s pe cei e i ? Jou nal o English
o Speci ic Pu poses in Indonesia. 2024;3(2):135–144.
[h ps://doi.o g/10.33369/espindonesia. 3i2.34759]
[ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.140 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
Powe ed by TCPDF (www. cpd .o g)
7 / 7