Exploring the Effectiveness of Using Debates at the Secondary School Level to Improve EFL Learners’ Speaking Skill:Case study of Third Year Berbera Mohamed High School,Theniet El Had –Tessemsilt.

Abstract

Many foreign language learners find speaking as one of the most difficult skills in the learning process, since they have little exposure to practice the language in the classroom. Therefore, teachers should use various activities to ameliorate their learners’ speaking performance. Debating is such an activity through which students filter their English spoken production. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using debates in developing students’ speaking skill at the secondary school level . Hence the objective of this study is to embolden teachers to use debates in EFL classes in order to enhance learners’ speaking skill and provide them with more opportunities to practise the target language (English). The research utilized both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Two data collection tools are used in order to gather data; a questionnaire was administered to forty students of third year FL of two different secondary schools at Theniet El Had, and an interview was conducted with seven teachers from the same schools. The findings of this research led into a relative embracing of our hypotheses, it indicated that the students had a positive perception about the use of debate activity in EFL class to improve their speaking skill .Also it showed that teachers are very intrested in using debate in secondary school although the difficulties they faced , and they declared that debate can brillianly improve students’ speaking skill. Thus, teachers have to elevate their students’ mindfulness towards the importance of the speaking skill and make them aware of their learning responsibility.