Outcome based life choices: An outcome assessment comfirmation study measuring positive social outcomes beyond undergraduate experiences for participants and society in competitive intercollegiate debate, Jack E. Rogers, Department of communication, University of Central Missouri and Arthur Rennels, Interim Director of Forensics, University of Central Missouri, USA
In Fall1997, 200 first-year students (100 debaters and 100 non-debaters) were selected to participate in a four-year longitudinal study. The purpose of the study was to determine if active participation in competitive, intercollegiate forensics led to more significant positive student outcomes for the 100 debate participants as compared to 100 non-debate participants. At the end of each year, an 84-item survey was administered. The participants were compared in five specific areas: 1) social responsibility; 2) cultural understanding and tolerance; 3) academic success; 4) moral and ethical issues; and 5) psychological multipliers. The study, published in 2002, concluded that in almost every case, in almost every area, participation in debate had significant positive outcomes for the respondent population. A second study, published in 2005, followed those research participants, both debate and non-debate, into the post-graduation world. The study compared debate and non-debate populations as they matriculate through graduate and professional programs, earned advance degrees, and make first career choices. Some job performance data was included. It also compared continued expressions of social responsibility, cultural understanding and tolerance, moral and ethical issues, and perceptions of mental well being and confidence between groups. The study concluded that again, in almost every case, in almost every area, former forensic participation had led to significantly more positive life outcomes beyond graduation for the debate population than for their non-debate peers. This study continues to follow our study participant groups, but focuses in on comparisons of continued social responsibility; cultural understanding and tolerance; and moral and ethical issues. In this case, participants were asked questions regarding behavioral involvement in politics, not-for-profit and social causes, fund-raising, the education and academic environment, and political decision-making. As in previous studies, in almost every case prior involvement in academic debate led to more significant, positive outcomes for not only the debaters but for the society as a whole.

3rd International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment, October 2010, Maribor, Slovenia.

Further details can be found at the conference websites:
Basic information at debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Welcome.html
News blog at betterworldconference.blogspot.com/

The conference was organized by the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor in Slovenia uni-mb.si/ , ZIP, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga/Pro et contra, institute for culture of dialogue zainproti.com/ , and the World Debate Institute of the University of Vermont debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/wdi/Welcome.html .

The organizers are grateful for the support of our sponsor QatarDebate qatardebate.org/ .

Thanks to organizers Boris Vezjak, Alfred Snider and Bojana Skrt. Special thanks to Peter Mesarec, Monica Sobocan and Aljoša Polšak.