English Competitive Debating Challenges

Abstract

English competitive debating is currently on the rise at the varsity level due to its extensive English four skills enhancement. However, some students find it challenging to win the debate. This study investigated the challenges the debate teachers face when preparing their students to compete in the tournament. This study utilized a qualitative case study with three debate teachers as the subjects. Data were gathered using open-ended interviews. The study discovered that the teachers' main challenges were students' lack of prior English skills before entering the tournament, less accessibility to tournaments due to financial constraints, and student's decreased motivation due to a string of losses. The teachers tried to fix the problem by providing tons of debate videos, books, and training sessions as often as possible before tournaments. The teachers found that some students felt burned out after the training session and did not enjoy the activity. Other challenges were the lack of funding from universities and the lack of time allocation to train. This study requires additional extensive research on students' perspectives about debating and their expectations of their teachers.