PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ASPECTS OF READING AUTHENTIC MEDICAL TEXTS IN THE STUDY OF “ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES” COURSE BY STUDENTS OF MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the psycholinguistic aspects of reading authentic medical texts in English by students of higher medical education institutions within English for Specific Purposes courses. The study examines the key cognitive and affective challenges encountered by students, including high terminological density, complex syntactic structures, the presence of passive and embedded clauses, working memory limitations, and overall cognitive load, as well as the influence of anxiety, emotional states, and motivational factors on reading comprehension. Special attention is paid to psycholinguistic strategies for overcoming reading difficulties, including the pre-activation of professional schemas and contextual knowledge, morphological and semantic analysis of vocabulary, scaffolded work with authentic medical materials, collaborative tasks, exercises for summarizing, synthesizing, and evaluating information, as well as the integration of digital resources and dictionaries to enhance learning effectiveness. It is demonstrated that the systematic application of these strategies contributes to increased cognitive efficiency, the development of strategic awareness, reduced anxiety, enhanced motivation, and the formation of autonomous skills in reading authentic medical texts in English. The study demonstrates that the integration of psycholinguistic principles into English for Specific Purposes curricula is a key factor in enhancing students’ academic, professional, and communicative competence, while also providing a foundation for the effective comprehension of English-language scientific sources, clinical guidelines, and treatment protocols. The conclusions outline directions for further research, including empirical studies on the impact of working memory, lexical access automatization, inferencing strategies, cognitive flexibility, and motivational-affective factors on the efficiency of reading authentic medical texts.