Exploring a flexible one-minute paper to foster reflection and engagement in a Japanese EFL college classroom

Abstract The one-minute paper is widely used in higher education to promote active learning and reflection, yet its use in English-as-a-foreign-language classrooms remains under-explored. This study examined Japanese college students’ perceptions of a flexible, less-structured one-minute paper used across one academic year. Participants were 104 first- and second-year students (CEFR A1–B1) enrolled in four EFL courses at a private college in Japan. Students completed weekly flexi-OMP entries and an anonymous bilingual questionnaire comprising Likert-type and open-ended items at the end of two semesters. Quantitative results were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative comments were coded thematically using template analysis. Findings suggest that students perceived the flexi-OMP positively as a low-stakes space for reflection, learning, communication and connection. Perceived benefits related to reflective review, vocabulary awareness, language output and rapport, and are presented alongside practical constraints such as time demands. These findings contribute to ongoing discussions of reflective micro-practices in EFL classrooms by illustrating how the one-minute paper can be adapted for language-learning contexts.