Interest Survey
(Results of a survey I
gave grad students in 2007)
Why this page: I thought foreign teachers might
like to know what Chinese students are interested in learning or talking
about. Your students might choose different things, but perhaps you can
use this as a model so that you can ask!
Student sample:
92 graduate students, studying various aspects of
medicine at Kunming Medical University, first week of class, September
2007
RESULTS: Topics in order (from highest number of responses
to lowest):
1. Life Stages: Love, marriage, children, divorce, death
2. Doctor-patient relationships (I have a movie about
this, but we wouldn’t have time to watch the whole thing in class)
3. Humor as medicine (I have a movie about this, but we
wouldn’t have time to watch the whole thing in class)
4. Food: diet, obesity, food safety, nutrition
5. Internet & Communications (problems & resources)
6. Honesty, obedience, accountability, idealism and other
culturally-defined issues
7. Non-medical health factors (anxiety, attitude,
loneliness, etc)
8. Growing up or growing old (a humorous look at aging)
9. Pollution & recycling (I have a video on this subject)
10. Cancer & Despair (I have a Snoopy cartoon on this
topic)
11. Multicultural awareness and differences in worldview
12. Handling stress (including coping with pressure &
professional development; I have a TV drama on this)
13. Medicine without drugs (traditional and alternative
med)
14. temperament, interpersonal relationships, personality
characteristics
15. Question & Answer time (in English) with doctors
16. Cloning (I have a movie about this, but we wouldn’t
have time to watch the whole thing in class)
17. The interdependent role of culture, social structures
and individuals.
18. Antibiotics, bacteria & viruses (I have a TV drama on
this)
19. AIDS (& SARS?)
20. First aid
21. Smoking (and other addictions)
22. Hygiene/sanitation in hospitals (I have a TV drama on
this)
23. Annual Physical Exam & Health Examination procedures
(rules & procedures for foreigners living in China)
24. The role of NGOs (& charity) in society
25. What are grades? (& the role of exams in Chinese
society)
26. Eye care
Disclaimers:
Most students didn't follow my instructions (which is
rather typical); that is, they didn't limit themselves to 10 "best" and
five "uninteresting" topics. Some marked everything, and some only
marked a few. My ranking also doesn't really take the "OK" or "frowns"
into account, but there weren't many of these. As a result,
statistically, these results are suspect. No one suggested extra topics.
The survey:
Next week we will
talk about pain. What do you want to study after that? Here are
some suggestions. Choose up to 10 “best” topics and mark them by
circling the "plus" +; choose up to 5 "uninteresting' topics and mark them by circling a "frown"
^. You can leave the others blank
or mark them “ok.”
Possible topics:
+ ok ^
1. What are grades? (& the role of exams in Chinese society)
+ ok ^
2. Multicultural awareness and differences in worldview
+ ok ^
3. Medicine without drugs (traditional and alternative med)
+ ok ^
4. Humor as medicine (I have a movie about this, but we wouldn’t have
time to watch the whole thing in class)
+ ok ^
5. Smoking (and other addictions)
+ ok ^
6. Doctor-patient relationships(I have a movie about this, but we
wouldn’t have time to watch the whole thing in class)
+ ok ^
7. Non-medical health factors (anxiety, attitude, loneliness, etc)
+ ok ^
8. AIDS (& SARS?)
+ ok ^
9. Food: diet, obesity, food safety, nutrition
+ ok ^
10. The role of NGOs (& charity) in society
+ ok ^
11. Internet & Communications (problems & resources)
+ ok ^
12. Cancer & Despair (I have a Snoopy cartoon on this topic)
+ ok ^
13. temperament, interpersonal relationships, personality
characteristics
+ ok ^
14. Pollution & recycling (I have a video on this subject)
+ ok ^
15. Honesty, obedience, accountability, idealism and other
culturally-defined issues
+ ok ^
16. The interdependent role of culture, social structures and
individuals.
+ ok ^
17. Antibiotics, bacteria & viruses (I have a TV drama on this)
+ ok ^
18. Hygiene/sanitation in hospitals (I have a TV drama on this)
+ ok ^
19. Handling stress (including coping with pressure & professional
development; I have a TV drama on this)
+ ok ^
20. Question & Answer time (in English) with doctors
+ ok ^
21. Cloning (I have a movie about this, but we wouldn’t have time to
watch the whole thing in class)
+ ok ^
22. Annual Physical Exam & Health Examination procedures (rules &
procedures for foreigners living in China)
+ ok ^
23. Life Stages: Love, marriage, children, divorce, death
+ ok ^
24. First aid
+ ok ^
25. Growing up or growing old (a humorous look at aging)
+ ok ^
26. Eye care
Other suggestions?________________________________________
This resource was created for our students under my
understanding of "fair use" for educational resources.
2007 Michael Krigline. As far as I am concerned, people are allowed to print/copy/adapt
it for personal or classroom use.
(see Website Standards and Use Policy)
