CAR 8

Citation:

Othman, mala.,  Sahamid, Husniah., Harrith, Muhammad., Hashim, Rosnani., & Mohamad, Faizah. (2015). The Effects of Debate Competition on Critical Thinking among Malaysian Second Language Learners. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 23 (4): 656-664.

This article journal mainly discuss how debate competition can develop students’ critical thinking. The participant of this research are forty second language learners in Malaysia, aged 16 years old. The researcher conducted this research with pre-test and post test. Also, a survey was undertaken to gauge their perception of the thinking process they had experienced.

In debate competition, two teams will debate over a problem that called ‘motion’, in front of the judges or adjudicators. They have to provide a better argument with strong facts and the way they deliver their argument also being scored by the judges. After listen to the opponent group, they have to be able to do rebuttal over the opponent’s argument. In this case, critical thinking play a big role. because, if we do not think fast or our argument is not strong, the opponent group will see it as weaknesses and it easier for them to rebut our argument.

As a result, in the pre-test and post-test there are some improvements in the students’ critical thinking. Also, in the survey that given to the students, it shows that the majority of the students (83,8%) respons positively that debate competition can improve their critical thinking.