Students’ Perceptions toward Using Classroom Debate to Develop Critical Thinking and Oral Communication Ability

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to make inquiries about students' perceptions on employing classroom debate to improve critical thinking and oral communication ability. Sixteen undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a group, and took part in debates for nine sessions throughout one whole semester. Part of the data was collected through a survey questionnaire including twenty one statements using 5-point Likert scale. Students were also provided with a number of open-ended questions to write down their perceptions about the classroom debate. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a number of volunteered participants. Overall, the students believed that the classroom debate was a constructive learning activity. The respondents believed that the debates helped improve their critical thinking skills and oral communication ability. In addition, as the students claimed, other benefits of the debates included mastering the course content, boosting confidence, overcoming the stage fright, and improving team work skills.

A comparison of debate and role play in enhancing critical thinking and communication skills of medical students during problem based learning

“…When asked about the improvement in Communication skills from four different angles (i.e., alleviation of potential difficulties in communication, learning new ways of communication, improvement in listening skills to convince others, and promotion of teamwork), students rated these two teaching modalities equally and no significant differences were observed between them. Our study results are in accordance with the majority of published researches which have documented improvement in Communication skills by debate or role play alone . In addition, previous studies do suggest that females are faster in learning communication and inter‐personnel skills compared to males .…”

Analisis Ketrampilan Berfikir Kritis Dalam Memecahkan Masalah Ditinjau Perbedaan Gender

“…Hal tersebut dapat dilihat dari fakta bahwa kemampuan berfikir kritis akan menentukan daya tahan/saing seseorang dalam berkompetisi untuk menjadi yang terunggul karena akan meningkatkan daya kompetitif dari individu tersebut, sesuai pendapat peneliti yang menyatakan keterampilan berpikir kritis telah diakui sebagai keterampilan yang penting untuk keberhasilan belajar, bekerja dan hidup di abad ke-21 (Zare, P. & Othman, M. 2015 ;Kivunja, C. 2015;Bermingham, M. 2015).Seseorang yang mempunyai ketrampilan berfikir kritis tinggi dan kemampuan komunikasi yang baik akan mudah menyesuaikan perubahan kondisi dan dihargai baik dalam konteks akademik dan dunia kerja (Mason, 2007; Rudd, 2007; Kosciulek & Wheaton, 2003).…”

Using Debate in an Online Asynchronous Social Policy Course

“…Having students work with others to create a group statement forces them to evaluate what information from their individual papers to include and how to collaborate with others. Creating a group rebuttal statement requires students to read and analyze the other side's argument and craft a thoughtful response (Zare & Othman, 2015). The structure of this assignment allows multiple opportunities for students to learn and develop knowledge and skills.…”