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TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF DEBATES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY OF BULERA SUB-COUNTY, MITYANA DISTRICT
This study aimed at assessing the teachers‟ perception towards debates in primary school Bulera sub-county, Mityana district. The study was guided by the following objective: To establish teachers‟ level of participation in school debates, to find out teachers‟ feelings about debates in primary schools and to find out the possible strategies for promoting debates in primary schools. The study was carried out using a cross section research design. The respondents who took part in the study included four head teachers, one from each of the sampled schools, ten teachers and six pupils totaling to twenty respondents. Teachers and pupils were chosen using simple random sampling technique while head teachers were purposely got from the four sampled schools. The data was collected using well-structured questionnaires and interview guides. The data collected was presented and analyzed using tables, frequencies and percentages. Based on the findings of the study the researcher made the following conclusions: the teachers‟ level of participation in school debates are as follows: ending petty arguments, redirecting discussion, a teacher participates in debates by assigning the affirmative and the negative, a teacher may take a role of the monitor during debate and teachers participate in debates by giving time to pupils for research. The teachers‟ feelings about debates in primary schools include: - teachers have a feeling that debating leads to improved critical thinking skills, teachers have a feeling that pupils acquire better poise, speech delivery, and public speaking skills through debating, teachers also have a feeling that debates lead to improved listening and note-taking skills, teachers from different studies have a feeling that debating in primary schools increases self-confidence and debates enhance teamwork skills and collaboration. The possible strategies for promoting debates in primary schools includes:-acknowledging that no ideas are silly ideas, putting yourself in someone else‟s shoes, arranging the seating in a way that invites conversation between students , encouraging step up, step back and encouraging active listening. Teachers should also avoid generic, trite, or over-debated subjects that engender racial and ideological bias and make the debate topics relevant to specific content that has been learned during the year. Done with a little bit of forethought, classroom debates will engage even the students that normally do not participate in class.
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