Being a part of the globalized world?Globalization, English, and world membership from students' perspectives. English Teaching & Learning, 39(1), 69-97. (original) (raw)

In light of the celebration of globalization in higher education institutions around the world, this qualitative study examines a group of Taiwanese college students' perceptions of the globalized world, the importance of English as the global lingua franca, and their world memberships. Drawing on the notions of imagined community , the study analyzes data collected from one-on-one interviews and texts written by the students on an online English discussion forum. Open coding was conducted to identify salient themes and patterns in students' experiences and perceptions. The findings highlight the disjunction between top-down, institutional rhetoric for globalization and learner reality. Instead of seeing the exigency of global participation, these students held a series of conflicting ideas toward the often taken-for-granted global community imagined for them, their roles as legitimate and competent members in the community, and the kind of learning investment they are expected to make. This study calls for a more student-centered review of current internationalization policies and practices to better support students in riding the tides of globalization.