Debate is great!Professors
Camp and Schander (2010) explain that “debate
encourages students to develop research and presentation skills, apply their
knowledge in a logically consistent manner, and interact with peers in a
meaningful way” (p. 658).Dr.
Kathryn Winstead (2010) observes that “debates
fully engage the students, help them develop interpersonal and communication
skills, encourage critical thinking, and lead to high levels of learning and
retention of content” (p. 77).Dr.
Ruth Kennedy (2007) agrees that the benefits of debating “include mastery of the content and the development of critical
thinking skills, empathy, and oral communication skills.” (p. 183).Professor
Sophia Scott (2008) maintains that “the
debate process incorporates critical thinking and a plethora of other skills
including, listening, researching, problem solving, reasoning, questioning, and
communicating.”
These observations reflect, and are reinforced by, a considerable
body of peer-reviewed research.Dr. Jack
Tessier (2009), for example, reports that . . . "The popularity of debates is not difficult
to appreciate given that they can improve students’ critical thinking (Allison
2002; Beck 1999; Jackson 1973; Lantis 2004; MacArthur, Ferretti, and Okolo
2002), engagement in learning (MacArthur et al. 2002), listening skills
(Allison 2002; Jackson1973), arguing skills (Allison 2002), content knowledge
(MacArthur et al. 2002), self esteem (Jackson 1973), global thinking
(Lantis 2004), and empathy for perspectives other than their own
(Lantis 2004)." (p. 144).
To
isolate the impact of academic debate, researchers in the 2005 Minnesota urban
debate league study used a pre-test/post-test protocol to measure changes in
academic debaters and comparison students.Scholastic Reading Inventory instruments were used alongside the
Adolescent Risk Taking Scale, school records, and a survey to capture
background characteristics.(These
instruments were administered in the fall of 2004 and spring of 2005).The findings include: ·Debaters
scored 36% higher on the reading post-test than on the pre-test. This
improvement is 61% greater than improvements among the comparison group. ·80%
of debaters reported no attendance problems compared to 49.02% with no reported
attendance problems among the comparison group. ·Debaters
averaged 15% higher self-esteem than the comparison group, and this boost in
self-esteem was positively correlated with the duration of debate
participation: the longer he/she debated, the wider the differential. ·By
the end of their first year of debate, 100% of the debaters reported an
increased interest in their classes. ·In
contrast to the comparison group, 87% of debaters were better able to analyze
information. ·On
a 4.0 scale, returning debaters averaged a 0.13 increase in their GPAs, while
returning comparison group members lost an average of 0.10 points. ·Debaters
were unlikely to engage in negative risk behavior (drug use, early pregnancy,
and alcohol). Debaters scored the highest possible score on this indicator. (http://www.urbandebate.org/literature.shtml)
A 2004
study of nearly 500 high school students in in Chicago, Kansas City, New York,
St. Louis, and Seattle concluded that "academic
debate improves performance at statistically significant levels on reading test
scores, diminishes high-risk behaviors, and improves academic success and
student attitudes towards higher education." Linda Collier at the
University of Missouri, Kansas City, led the research team. Data analysis was
conducted by Elaine Maag of the Urban Institute and Edward Harris of the
Congressional Budget Office.(http://www.urbandebate.org/literature.shtml)
Small wonder that Professor Joe Bellon (2000) concludes: “the existing academic literature makes a
powerful case for debate” (p. 174).