The benefits of using formalized debates in the classroom are widely known as debating develops various skills that students need both inside and outside the modern educational system. Such competences range from communication and research skills, critical thinking, team work, public speaking, and self-confidence (Kennedy, 2007; Medina, 2020;…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide teachers with research and methodological findings for planning, facilitating and assessing classroom discussions around difficult, political issues. Design/methodology/approach: This paper focuses on navigating political polarization in classroom discussions. The research supported three teaching…

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a Community Service Learning (CSL) program in contributing to pre-service teachers' developmental growth. In this study, 20 TESL undergraduate students carried out a service-learning activity which involved a debate tournament program at a school where they taught and coached debate to 200…

This study seeks to obtain argumentation models, which represent argumentative processes and an assessment structure in secondary school debatable issues in the social sciences. The argumentation model was developed based on mixed methods, a combination of both theory-driven and data-driven methods. The coding system provided a combing point by…

In the Netherlands, crossing borders to study comprehensive schools was an important strategy in the 1970s, a decisive period for the start and the end of the innovation. According to policy-borrowing theory, actors that engage in debating educational issues are framing foreign examples of comprehensive schooling to convince their audiences.…

In light of the U.S. Senate's designation of March 15, 2016 as "National Speech and Debate Education Day" (S. Res. 398, 2016), it only seems fitting that "Communication Education" devote a special section to the role of speech and debate in civic education. Speech and debate have been at the heart of the communication…

This article focuses on how Dutch newspapers represented the debate in the Netherlands in the 1970s on comprehensive education and thus influenced the Dutch Middle School experiment. Wiborg's identification of key factors of success in Scandinavia was used as a point of reference. The article shows that these key factors did not exist in the…

Although multilingualism is the norm in Africa the degree of linguistic complexity varies from one specific national context to another. While some countries are highly multilingual, others have fairly few languages. Similarly, whereas in some countries a good number of languages enjoy majority status; in others, we have a myriad of primarily…

The topic of cyberbullying is raising international debate and concern. Through the development and dissemination of a questionnaire 12 student researchers were supported in surveying 325 UK students across Years 7, 8 and 9 to gain further knowledge of this area, in relation to children and young people. Results were analysed and comparisons made…

Describes how, with the aid of a computer and modem, students in two schools can carry out a modified formal debate from their classrooms. (SR)

A rules-based approach to the problems of debate (such as that proposed by the American Debate Association) will fail to provide a solution to debate's ills and may only increase the problems. Debate's current problems have to do with debate performance, e.g., speaking rate, poor quality evidence, and irrational arguments. A solution to these…

Responds to the issues raised in the previous article on the nature of the debate resolution (CS 706 818). Deals particularly with comments on counter-warrants. (PD)

Argues that substantive rules of debate, instituted by the National Debate Tournament Committee, are both ineffective and counterproductive. Critiques the rule restricting evidence reading after a debate and the rule requiring judges to compare definitions when evaluating topicality arguments. Concludes that substantive rules should be rescinded…

Presents a handout given to students in an Environmental Biology class for an Ecological Issues Debate. Lists instructions for the debate and a research paper. (JRH)

The survey and suggestions for improvements are presented. (CH)