Evaluation of EAP programs for the students of medicine in Iranian and Iraqi medical universities: document analysis and teachers’ perspectives

Ghaderi, Ahmad; Sardar, Mohammad Ali; Amiri, Mostafa; Hassanpour, Masoumeh

doi:10.22038/fmej.2026.95469.1732

Evaluation of EAP programs for the students of medicine in Iranian and Iraqi medical universities: document analysis and teachers’ perspectives

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ahmad Ghaderi ¹

Mohammad Ali Sardar ²

Mostafa Amiri ²

Masoumeh Hassanpour ²

¹ Department of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

² Department of General Courses, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

10.22038/fmej.2026.95469.1732

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the policies in the Iranian and Iraqi English for Academic Purposes (EAP) education and the extent to which objectives match the policies and are materialized in practice.
Method: This qualitative study, conducted between 2023 and 2024, explored EAP policy and practice by analyzing course syllabi and conducting semi-structured interviews with English language instructors and subject-matter specialists across selected Iranian and Iraqi medical universities. We adopted seven policy areas from Kaplan and Baldauf’s (2005) language-in-education planning as the framework of the study. Based on document analysis and interviews with some language teachers and subject-matter specialists, the similarities and discrepancies between the two sets of data were investigated. Finally, we compared the data from Iranian and Iraqi medical university contexts.
Results: Findings revealed substantial gaps between policy and practice in both contexts though the nature and severity of these gaps differ. The results showed that EAP course descriptions do not include any comments on policy and there were discrepancies in policy and practice due to such factors as lack of communication channel between the EAP stakeholders and policymakers.
Conclusion: Due to deficiencies in both policy and practice and in order to reach an acceptable status, EAP programs are in an urgent need for reconceptualizing policy-making and practice. The findings of this study have implications for EAP policies and practice in medical academic system of Iran and Iraq. It might be beneficial for decision-makers, university administrators, curriculum planners, and EAP instructors and learners.

Keywords

English for General Academic Purposes

English for Medical Academic Purposes

EAP Documents

Language-in-education Planning

Policy and Practice

Subjects