An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity

This paper presents a study of an experiential learning debate program held among second language learners of a Malaysian boarding school. It was a co-curricular activity carried by the ELS (English language society) and the EDC (English debate club). The English panel felt that not everyone would h...

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Main Authors: Othman, Moomala, Mohamad, Faizah, Amiri, Farzaneh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: David Publishing Company 2013
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/1/An%20English%20debate%20league%20competition%20among%20lower%20form%20students%20an%20experiential%20learning%20activity.pdf
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author Othman, Moomala
Mohamad, Faizah
Amiri, Farzaneh
author_facet Othman, Moomala
Mohamad, Faizah
Amiri, Farzaneh
author_sort Othman, Moomala
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper presents a study of an experiential learning debate program held among second language learners of a Malaysian boarding school. It was a co-curricular activity carried by the ELS (English language society) and the EDC (English debate club). The English panel felt that not everyone would have the chance to speak or voice their opinion in a 40-minute English lesson. Hence, the rational to hold the debate tournament as this would create a real context for students to use English language. The British parliamentary debate was adopted. Thirty-two ELS members were briefed to run the tournament whilst 24 English debate members were trained to adjudicate. Two hundred and forty students (120 form one and 120 form two students) were grouped in pairs as debaters according to their sports house system. The debate lasted for three months and quantitative and qualitative data was drawn. A survey of participants’ perception undertaken revealed that students felt they had improved their speaking and listening skills. They suggested that after each debate, the adjudicators should discuss the motion and inform them of their weaknesses. Later, data drawn was used to explain how debate helped students to develop their speaking ability.
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spelling upm-290022018-10-16T01:43:19Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/ An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity Othman, Moomala Mohamad, Faizah Amiri, Farzaneh This paper presents a study of an experiential learning debate program held among second language learners of a Malaysian boarding school. It was a co-curricular activity carried by the ELS (English language society) and the EDC (English debate club). The English panel felt that not everyone would have the chance to speak or voice their opinion in a 40-minute English lesson. Hence, the rational to hold the debate tournament as this would create a real context for students to use English language. The British parliamentary debate was adopted. Thirty-two ELS members were briefed to run the tournament whilst 24 English debate members were trained to adjudicate. Two hundred and forty students (120 form one and 120 form two students) were grouped in pairs as debaters according to their sports house system. The debate lasted for three months and quantitative and qualitative data was drawn. A survey of participants’ perception undertaken revealed that students felt they had improved their speaking and listening skills. They suggested that after each debate, the adjudicators should discuss the motion and inform them of their weaknesses. Later, data drawn was used to explain how debate helped students to develop their speaking ability. David Publishing Company 2013-11 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/1/An%20English%20debate%20league%20competition%20among%20lower%20form%20students%20an%20experiential%20learning%20activity.pdf Othman, Moomala and Mohamad, Faizah and Amiri, Farzaneh (2013) An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity. US-China Foreign Language, 11 (11). pp. 840-852. ISSN 1539-8080 http://www.davidpublisher.org/index.php/Home/Article/index?id=5997.html 10.17265/1539-8080/2013.11.004
spellingShingle Othman, Moomala
Mohamad, Faizah
Amiri, Farzaneh
An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity
title An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity
title_full An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity
title_fullStr An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity
title_full_unstemmed An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity
title_short An English debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity
title_sort english debate league competition among lower form students: an experiential learning activity
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29002/1/An%20English%20debate%20league%20competition%20among%20lower%20form%20students%20an%20experiential%20learning%20activity.pdf