http://wjel.sciedupress.com World Journal of English Language Vol. 12, No. 6; 2022 Published by Sciedu Press 71 ISSN 1925-0703 E-ISSN 1925-0711 English-Medium Instruction and Content Learning in Freshman Year: An Investigation of a Saudi University Students’ Challenges and Learning Strategies Nourah A. Altheyab 1 & Fahd Sh. Alalwi 1 1 Department of English, College of Science and Humanities in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia Correspondence: Nourah A. Altheyab, Department of English, College of Science and Humanities in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia. Received: June 9, 2022 Accepted: July 11, 2022 Online Published: July 11, 2022 doi:10.5430/wjel.v12n6p71 URL: https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n6p71 Abstract The present study investigates the challenges that science freshmen perceive in English-medium instruction at Prince Sattam bin Abdelaziz University in terms of language and learning as well as the frequency of relevant learning strategies employed by students. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 376 students enrolled in the First Year Program at Prince Sattam Bin Abdelaziz University, considering their gender, scientific tracks, and previous English exposure. Results reveals that females were less comfortable communicating with professionals in their classrooms. Simultaneously, freshmen females perceive greater challenges in content comprehension, knowledge application, and learning adaptability. Therefore, they relied on learning strategies supported by L1 more frequently than males. Comparison of groups based on tracks shows that engineering students have more difficulty communicating with professionals than medical students. Furthermore, freshmen with extensive prior English exposure had fewer difficulties communicating with their peers and professionals. They perceived fewer difficulties with content comprehension, knowledge application, and learning adaptability. In contrast, freshmen with little prior exposure to English relied more on L1-related learning strategies. The findings show significant differences in perceiving EMI-related challenges and adopted learning strategies based on the relevant variables. They suggest that the shift from high school Arabic-medium education to English-medium instruction in higher education requires careful institutional and individual planning. Keywords: English-Medium Instruction, translanguaging, learning strategies, students’ perceptions, science learning, English exposure 1. Introduction It is now a reasonable assumption that English is rapidly spreading throughout the world due to globalization. People all around the world use a common language in order to share ideas and information. This dominant language has contributed to more widespread implementation of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in education. EMI can be defined as ―the use of the English language to teach academic subjects in countries or jurisdictions where the first language (L1) of the majority of the population is not English‖ (Dearden, 2014, p. 4). There have been no restrictions on the establishment of EMI to date; in general, integrated EMI education is commonly used in tertiary education worldwide. Europe and Asia prevail in the body of EMI research throughout the educational phases. Africa is underrepresented in the other phases. Besides, in primary and high school, studies on the effects of L1 and L2 teaching programs are more prevalent than those in higher education (Macaro, Curle, Pun, An, & Dearden, 2018) . Recent studies have indicated the positive impact of EMI implementation. has shown positive effects of EMI has been found by examining twenty-five empirical studies related to content and language outcomes in Europe and Asia (Graham, Choi, Davoodi, Razmeh, & Dixon 2018). However, it is worth mentioning that Graham et al. (2018) detects various methodological issues that could impact the accuracy of the study results. Education stakeholders are strongly supportive of EMI instruction because it could benefit both students and educational institutions. It is suggested that exposure to L2 will enhance the students' vocabularies and skills they need to have promising future in employment (Adolphs & Schmitt, 2004). Equally important, studies have shown the role of EMI implementation in the increasing labor market's opportunities. For instance, Tamtam, Gallagher, Olabi, & Naher (2012) maintained