Use of Debate Strategies to Increase the Effectiveness of a 1st-Year Conversation Course at a College of Education

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This research aimed to identify the use of debate strategies in a first-year English as a Foreign Language (EFL) conversation course at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait with female students training to teach English. Debate activities’ extent and nature were examined to determine debate’s effect on students’ oral fluency, critical thinking skills, and self-confidence when speaking in public. Based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 27 students, the research outlined thematic areas regarding student attitudes, linguistic repertoires, and the difficulties arising from debate situations. The study showed that debate tactics improve students’ interest levels and thinking ability, especially those of the linguistically able. Regarding their learning experiences, many students said that they felt more at ease asserting themselves on public platforms and incorporating extra analytical skills while in debates. However, learners with poor L2 skills, especially students from public schools, had some dismal moments of participation—they even felt the debate activity excluded or challenged them.Nevertheless, the majority of the students acknowledged debate’s importance in enhancing fluency and communication skills. The findings similarly highlighted the need to adopt varied teaching methods in class depending on the learners’ language proficiency. They also suggested the addition of a higher-level debate class for advanced students so they may polish their interpersonal and analytical skills. These findings extended prior research on using debate as a pedagogical approach in teaching EFL classrooms and provided pedagogical implications for language education for teachers and policymakers in teacher education programs.