Lingua francas and learning mobility: reflections on students’ attitudes and beliefs towards language learning and use

This paper explores higher education students’ beliefs and attitudes concerning language learning and use in the context of learning mobility, when lingua francas – including English – are used. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 141 Erasmus students at an Italian University. The open‐ended questions were analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach, and findings checked against the quantitative data. The analysis distinguishes between respondents’ beliefs, that is, overt convictions influencing learning behaviour, and attitudes operating below the level of awareness. Findings address three main issues: (1) the apparent contradiction between the respondents’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the opinion that lingua francas offer valuable language‐learning opportunities; (2) their implicit questioning of the language‐culture nexus; and (3) the study sheds light on code choice and negotiation.