The Synergistic Impact of AI-Generated Role-Play Scenarios with Instructor Feedback on Developing Medical Students' Communication Skills in English in Medical Interviews.

Abstract
The present study explored the combined effect of semi-structured AI-generated role-play scenarios and instructor feedback on enhancing medical students' communication skills in English Language in medical interviews. A mixed-methods design was employed, involving 104 second-year undergraduate medical students from Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST) in Egypt. These students were enrolled in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course designed to enhance their communication skills in English during medical interviews in the fall 2024-2025 semester. The participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group of 54 students and a control group of 50 students. Data collection instruments included a checklist outlining the necessary communication skills in English for medical interviews, a pre- and post-test to evaluate the combined impact of AI-generated role-play scenarios and instructor feedback, a scoring rubric for assessing communication skills in English during medical interviews, and semi-structured interviews with 15 participants from the experimental group to assess their perceptions of the role plays and instructor feedback. The experiment lasted for 10 weeks. The results revealed significant differences between the posttest scores of the experimental and control groups, favoring the experimental group. Additionally, interview participants highlighted the crucial role of both the semi- structured role-play scenarios and instructor feedback in improving their communication skills in English during medical interviews. The study concluded that semi-structured AI-generated role-play scenarios with immediate instructor feedback, effectively enhanced medical students' English communication skills in medical interviews. Based on these findings, it is recommended to incorporate AI – generated role plays scenarios and instructor feedback into medical education to further improve and advance communication skills in medical interviews, and to explore the potential effects of generative AI tools in developing medical education learning materials and activities.