PERSPECTIVES OF EFL STUDENTS ON ACQUIRING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN THE ENGLISH DEBATE COURSE

Abstract

Critical thinking is a vital 21st-century competency for EFL learners, and debate is considered an effective method to foster it. This study aims to find out students' perspectives on the acquisition of critical thinking skills through English debate courses, especially in the Australian Parliamentary Debate format, using Facione’s (1990) six core skills interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation as a framework. A qualitative case study was used to gather data from five English education students at a university in Bogor through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that all six skills can be acquired through debate, with interpretation, evaluation, and analysis being the most prominent. The findings concluded that debate can serve as a beneficial learning tool, but its effectiveness relies on the active involvement and awareness of students.