University Efl Students’ Perception Of The Debate Tournament In An Academic Speaking Course

Abstract

Speaking is one of the most important skills to have as a foreign language learner. In addition to that, there is a need to integrate 4Cs skills into the learning process to equip students with the necessary skills to survive in the 21St century. This study is conducted to investigate the students' perception of the use of the Debate Tournament as a speaking activity in the Academic Speaking course to see how this activity is perceived by the students for their speaking and 4Cs skills improvement. Thirty students participated in the Debate Tournament as the participants of this study; the research data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire and follow-up interviews with five students. The findings show the students' perceptions by analyzing their perspectives on the benefits they gained in speaking and related to 4Cs Skills and their common challenges. The study concludes that the debate tournament is perceived positively by the participants as they believe it has improved their speaking skills and 4Cs skills.