THE UNDERLYING CONCEPT OF MOTIVATION IN MEDICAL ENGLISH TEACHING

There is irrefutable evidence that medical English cannot be taught at the same level as general English language. The aim of studying English at this career specific level is acquiring contextually-based practical use of language within the given domain, rather than focusing on grammar and structure. The teacher's job is to design an appropriate curriculum that can be adjusted to satisfy the needs of the educational institution, while enabling students to perform medical jobs in a qualified, safe and competent manner. If asked to identify the strongest influence on language learning, motivational factors would appear at the top of few teachers’ lists. Nevertheless, motivation is rooted in human behaviour so profoundly, that we often fail to realize its underlying presence. This paper attempts to shed light, i.e. demystify the somewhat metaphysical concept of motivation, as well as to demonstrate how gravely and unjustly neglected the notion of motivation has been. Acta Medica Medianae 2018;57(2):40-44.