為因應全球化趨勢，發展世界一流大學及培育國際人才成為臺灣高等教育最重要的議題。學者專家們多專注於制度或教學內容層面的改進，鮮有從學生的角度出發，探討學生們如何理解及感受全球化的世界。職是之故，本文以質化研究方法，剖析臺灣大學生如何看待全球化世界中英語的重要性及自身扮演之角色。研究結論可見，學生時常對自己在全球化世界中扮演的角色感到懷疑；對於全球化人才該具備的能力，他們與學者專家們的看法也不見得一致。本文強調任何教育制度的創新與改革必須從學習者的經驗以及需求出發，始能提供學習者更適切的幫助以駕馭全球化的浪潮。

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 (Kanno & Norton, 2003), 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.