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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2021

Open Access 01-12-2021 | Acupuncture | Research article

An evaluation survey of traditional Chinese medicine learning among international students majoring in conventional medicine: a study from a university in China

Authors: Fan Qu, Qing Zhang, Minchen Dai, Yijing He, Jiaqi Wu, Xian Zhang, Yuhang Zhu, Ying’er Gu, Fangfang Wang, Xiangrong Xu

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2021

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Abstract

Background

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has gained increasing acceptance and popularity by the global community. The current study aimed to investigate self-reported evaluations of learning TCM and opinions about TCM courses among undergraduate international students majoring in conventional medicine at a university in China.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine. A self-reported questionnaire was administered to international undergraduates who were enrolled in the TCM course during the 2018 and 2019 academic years (n = 157). The course employed a student-centered, multiform learning model. Demographic data and self-reported evaluations of TCM learning background and TCM learning course were obtained to conduct the analysis.

Results

A total of 133 students responded to the questionnaire. Among the respondents, 21.0% had some TCM-related knowledge, and 51.1% were interested in learning TCM before the course. Ninety-six students (85.7%) were from Asia. Students from Thailand showed significantly more interest in learning TCM than did students from other Asian countries (p = 0.025). After the course, 77.2% of students agreed that the course had brought about many benefits, 86.4% were satisfied with the course content, and 77.3% were satisfied with the teaching method. Students expressed their willingness to further learn acupuncture and to obtain more skilled practice through more visualized learning methods.

Conclusions

The majority of the international students we surveyed agreed that the TCM course improved their interest in and understanding of TCM. It is thus suggested that TCM education should be directed toward students’ learning barriers and needs.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
An evaluation survey of traditional Chinese medicine learning among international students majoring in conventional medicine: a study from a university in China
Authors
Fan Qu
Qing Zhang
Minchen Dai
Yijing He
Jiaqi Wu
Xian Zhang
Yuhang Zhu
Ying’er Gu
Fangfang Wang
Xiangrong Xu
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keyword
Acupuncture
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-03174-1

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