Abstract

Students learning English often have difficulties with speaking skill because they have few opportunities to use it in real-life communication with foreigners. Therefore, English teachers need to choose appropriate techniques to help students improve their speaking skill, and one of those techniques is debate. This article is written based on research conducted at Hanoi University of Science and Technology to find out students’ awareness of using debate in developing English speaking skill. Results from the survey and interviews show that students have a positive perception of debate technique because it helps them express their opinions verbally, improves their confidence, and they can prepare their speeches systematically.

Keywords: Perception, speaking lesson, debate, students, technique.