Barriers and Strategies for Teaching About the U.S. Health Care System in China

Abstract

Overview. A partnership between the undergraduate health care management program at a U.S. public research university and a Chinese university provided ongoing opportunities for U.S. faculty to teach introductory health care management courses in China. These courses have been offered every semester since Spring 2018 with course enrollment ranging from 18 to 52 students. Method. This research was based in grounded theory and aimed at creating an effective teaching strategy for Chinese students. The premises used for this task were cultural humility, ongoing personal reflection and self-critique, the active use of student feedback, and ongoing collaboration with Chinese faculty. Findings. Three pedagogical barriers were addressed as the most parsimonious and useful framework for improving teaching practice in China: (1) Differences between U.S. and Chinese health care systems made comparisons problematic. Response: A new teaching model for visualizing the core components of a health care system was successfully developed and used. (2) Differences between English and Mandarin Chinese created translation gaps. Response: Bilingual presentation materials were developed based on a scaffolding of “thick translations.” (3) There were difficulties in navigating the political landscape. Response: U.S. faculty shifted focus from locating their presentations in the political landscape of China to offering a window into the U.S. health care system from American perspective. To date, Chinese student evaluations have been extremely positive across all courses. Need for Further Research. While U.S. faculty have made significant progress in creating effective teaching strategies for Chinese students, additional research is needed to further identify and refine best practices.