Quick Task Effect: focus on students’ perceptions

Abstract

This article is based on an intervention study conducted at a first-year university English class. The class used a fluency training activity, Quick Task, which is a brief task requiring students to talk and write about an assigned topic, making them think, explain and comment spontaneously. The aim of this research is to determine the extent to which this task was effective in making English less stressful and more enjoyable for the students. To help achieve this purpose, a quantitative research, comparing the results of pre- and post- course questionnaires, was conducted. The results showed that students gained a higher level of confidence and acquired a positive attitude towards learning English. The teacher also gained insights into what students thought and was encouraged to further develop this project. Practitioner research was found to be valuable.