Assessing the role of debates in improving language speaking skills in secondary school learners.

Abstract

Debates play a very big role in improving speaking skills among learners in secondary schools in Uganda. Debates are interactive in nature and help in nurturing students’ confidence, widening their vocabulary, critical thinking and fluency in the English language among learners. English being an official language in Uganda, one therefore needs to possess necessary speech skills in order to overcome challenges of speech arising in the near future. Debates, therefore, play a big role in improving language speech skills in learners. This proposed research therefore intends to find out answers to the following research questions: 1- What are the roles played by debates in improving language speech skills in secondary school learners? 2- What are the current challenges of the debating program in improving speech skills among learners? 3- How best can the debate program be revised and improved to impact the speech skills of learners in secondary schools in Uganda? Keywords: Debates, speech skills.