VietTESOL International Convention 2026

The rapid proliferation of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education has heightened interest in students’ experiences of learning through English. Previous research has generally treated learning strategies and learning challenges as separate constructs, with less attention paid to the interaction of these dimensions with students’ learning needs in a systemic framework.
This study draws on Cultural–Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to conceptualise EMI learning as an activity system, where students (subjects) engage with disciplinary content (object) through linguistic and strategic resources (tools) within institutional and pedagogical constraints (rules, community, and division of labour). Data were collected from 264 students in EMI programmes at three Vietnamese universities using a structured questionnaire and a quantitative design.
The findings show that students frequently employ content-focused, skills-focused, and help-seeking strategies, indicating active engagement with mediational tools. However, students reported persistent challenges in disciplinary terminology, listening comprehension, cognitive load, and academic language production. From a CHAT perspective, these challenges can be interpreted as tensions between the object of content mastery and the linguistic tools required in EMI contexts. In addition, students expressed learning needs for clearer instructional support and more flexible language use, suggesting possible misalignments among components of the activity system.
By framing strategies, challenges, and learning needs as interrelated elements within a CHAT-based activity system, this study highlights EMI learning as a process shaped by ongoing negotiation and structural tensions. The findings offer implications for aligning pedagogical practices with students’ mediated learning conditions in EMI settings.