Analysis of Debate Skills to the Learners’ Confidence and Anxiety in the Use of the English Language in Academic Engagements

Abstract

Competitive debating in education has grown in recent years. Debating shaped the skills of students in researching, argumentation, language use, and persuasiveness. Language fluency allowed the students to express their thoughts in clear and concise manner. The aim of this study was to explore how debating grows the confidence and reduce anxiety in English language use, particularly during academic engagements. There were 12 trained debate students who participated in the study from high school and college. This study explored the narratives of students on what nature of competitive debating influenced their speaking skills within their academic engagements e g., class discussions and responding to questions. Narrative analysis suggested that students experienced changes on how they construct sentences in their minds―they did it quickly and more efficiently now. Notably, their exposure to competitive debates reduced their fear in public speaking which then helped them understand their weaknesses in terms of grammar, structures, and vocabulary. Debating also reduced their fear of public speaking because they feel they are more capable of responding to questions and sharing opinions. This qualitative analysis shed light on which aspects the students perform good at after years of engaging to competitive debates.