English as a Lingua Franca and the Internationalization of Universities: an Erasmus Program Perspective

During the last few decades, the phenomenon of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has sparked interest in research. As demonstrated by many studies, ELF plays an important role in higher education. This dissertation aims to investigate the role of English as a Lingua Franca in the context of the internationalization of higher education, in particular focusing on the Erasmus program. As a consequence of globalisation, higher education institutions such as universities are becoming more and more internationalised and English as a Lingua Franca plays a crucial role, since it has become the language par excellence of international education. The present study will first outline the social and historical factors that led the English language to earn the title of lingua franca, which is now so important for education. The main aim of the dissertation is to analyse Erasmus students’ perceptions of English as a Lingua Franca in the Erasmus + program. In order to conduct this research, data is going to be collected through an online questionnaire sent via Whatsapp and other social media to Erasmus students at the University of Padova.