Sitharamanjaneyulu Madhukuri^1,2, Ram Kumar², Ruby Kala Prakasam^1,2*, Anjali Tripathi^1,2, Snigdha Snigdha^1,2 and Avinash Pathengay²

¹Brien Holden Institute of Optometry and Vision Sciences, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
²Standard Chartered – LVPEI Academy for Eye Care Education, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India

*Corresponding Author: Ruby Kala Prakasam, Educationist, Academic Research, Standard Chartered – LVPEI Academy for Eye Care Education, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Gullapalli Pratibha Rao Campus, Kismathpur, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Received: February 02, 2025; Published: March 04, 2025

Abstract

Background: Students from diverse language backgrounds often face challenges when professional health courses are taught in English, which is a widely accepted academic language in India. Language barriers can hinder effective communication, comprehension, and learning, while vernacular languages may enhance the learning experience. The study aims to investigate vision technician students’ perceptions of language barriers and the impact of vernacular language-based rubrics on learning and performing clinical skills.

Method: A survey-based quantitative study was conducted in August 2023 with first-year VT students at L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. Regular teaching and assessment methods were employed, using an English rubric for skill set 1 (distance visual acuity testing) and a Telugu-translated rubric for skill set 2 (objective refraction). After five months of practice through simulations and clinical rotations, a facilitated survey assessed students' confidence in spoken language, language preferences for rubric-based learning and evaluation, difficulty in understanding rubrics, and perceptions of their usefulness.

Result: A total of 39 students (88.6% response rate) completed the survey. Confidence in spoken Telugu was higher than in English, with 68% rating their Telugu confidence as excellent. Language preferences during classroom activities, practice sessions, and reading materials significantly differed between Telugu and English medium students, with Telugu medium students favoring both languages or Telugu and English medium students preferring English first, then both (p < 0.05). Difficulty in understanding the content of rubrics in Telugu also varied significantly (p < 0.05), with Telugu medium students finding it easy and English medium students finding it moderately difficult; however, most students felt bilingual rubrics would enhance clinical performance and help them score higher.

Conclusion: Integrating vernacular rubrics alongside English to teach technical skills can boost students' confidence, improve comprehension, and enhance clinical skills, leading to higher competency levels. A bilingual instructional model has the potential to improve learning outcomes in competency-based education, particularly for students from linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Keywords: Bilingual Rubrics; Clinical Skills; Vision Technician; Competency-Based Assessment Rubrics; Vernacular Language

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Citation

Citation: Ruby Kala Prakasam.,et al. “Impact of Language on Learning and Performing Clinical Skills Among Vision Technicians: A Comparison of English and Vernacular-Based Rubrics".Acta Scientific Ophthalmology 8.3 (2025): 15-23.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Ruby Kala Prakasam., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.