USING CRITICAL DEBATE TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ABILITY USING CRITICAL DEBATE TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ABILITY

The objective of the research is to examine whether or not Critical Debate Technique can develop the speaking ability of the second year students of SMAN 1 Sakra, besides that, the researcher is aimed at knowing the teaching-learning progress when Critical Debate Technique is applied at the second year students of SMAN 1 Sakra. The research was conducted at SMAN 1 Sakra located in Lombok Timur-NTB, from January to April 2011. The subject of the research was the second year of SMAN 1 Sakra, academic year 2010/2011, exactly the science program-consisting 31 students-21 female students and 10 male ones. There were two kinds of data in the research-the quantitative data and the qualitative one-which were obtained from respondent, the event, and document. The quantitative data were collected by using test and document analysis, while the qualitative data were collected by using observation, interview, questionnaire, and document analysis. The quantitative data were analyzed by using descriptive statistic, while the qualitative data were analyzed by using constant comparative method suggested by Hopkins (1993: 149). The finding proves that the research on developing speaking ability using Critical Debate Technique at second year students of SMAN 1 Sakra is successful viewed from several dimensions. First, Critical Debate Technique can improve the students’ speaking ability, second, Critical Debate Technique can improve the students’ involvement in learning teaching process, third, Critical Debate Technique may also build appreciation for diversity and develop tolerance for other viewpoints, fourth Critical Debate techniques can raise the motivation and interest, fifth, Critical Debate Technique can establish the psychological therapy, sixth, Critical Debate Technique can promote critical thinking. The research findings of study imply that Critical Debate Technique is a very appropriate and effective technique to develop the students’ speaking ability. Therefore, it is recommended that: (1) other speaking teachers apply Critical Debate Technique to develop the students’ speaking ability; (2) the principal of school encourages of the teachers to apply Critical Debate by providing better appropriate facility needed in teaching-learning process; and (3) other researchers develop some dimensions which have not been developed in this research