Hot Seat: Intervention for Writing Persuasive Speeches

This action research examined the effectiveness of the Hot Seat Vocabulary Icebreaker in enhancing students' persuasive speech writing competence. Employing a collaborative, practical action research design, the study utilized rubric and a focus group discussion (FGD) protocol as primary tools for data collection. Conducted in a private secondary school in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, the research involved Grade 8 students studying persuasive speech writing during the third quarter. Participants were selected through non-probability purposive sampling based on criteria aligned with the study's objectives. Findings indicated that while the Hot Seat activity effectively engaged students and fostered a dynamic classroom environment, it had a limited impact on vocabulary development. The newly introduced words were not consistently integrated into their written outputs. Nonetheless, the activity's interactive nature fostered confidence, collaboration, and enthusiasm, thereby indirectly improving students' persuasive writing performance. These results highlight the importance of integrating engaging and targeted strategies to support both language development and effective writing instruction.