English medium instruction in Jordanian medical education: a systematic review

Abstract

English-medium instruction (EMI) dominates Jordanian medical education, yet its equity implications and consequences for assessment validity remain poorly evidenced, particularly after the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, this review searched Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and PubMed for peer-reviewed work published between 2000 and 2024. A total of 34 studies met inclusion criteria after mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) quality appraisal and were analyzed through thematic synthesis. The evidence reveals a structural paradox: EMI supports international academic integration while disadvantaging students from Arabic-medium secondary schools by conflating English proficiency with medical competence. The lexical and morphological complexity of medical English increases cognitive demands and became more pronounced during pandemic-related online teaching. Students rely on code-switching and morphological analysis as coping strategies, but neither is recognized in policy or assessment. The review delivers the first PRISMA-aligned synthesis of EMI in Jordanian medical education, proposes the Jordanian Medical English Corpus (JoMEC) as a corpus-based diagnostic for measuring lexical burden, and reframes EMI equity as a measurable issue of assessment validity rather than a normative concern alone. Findings support bilingual scaffolding and validity-oriented assessment reform to advance equity in medical education across Jordan and comparable Middle East and North Africa (MENA) contexts.