Pengaruh Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis terhadap Keterampilan Komunikasi Politik pada Mahasiswa S1 PTKIS X

Abstract

This study originates from observed low mastery of political communication skills among students, particularly in the dimension of political message analysis, which is presumed to correlate with weak critical thinking abilities. The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of critical thinking ability on students’ political communication skills. Employing a quantitative approach, the study utilized purposive sampling of 78 students enrolled in the Praktikum Dakwah 2 course during the second semester of the 2024/2025 academic year. The instrument for measuring critical thinking was adapted from the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, while political communication skills were assessed through a performance-based rubric evaluating students’ responses to case studies in case-based learning. Correlation tests revealed that in the pre-test and practice test, the positive relationship found was weak and not statistically significant, whereas in the post-test, the relationship remained weak but reached statistical significance. A simple linear regression analysis further reinforced these findings, showing that higher critical thinking scores were followed by higher political communication skill scores, although the effect remained limited. These findings highlight the pivotal role of critical thinking ability in influencing students’ political communication achievements, while also noting the study’s limitations regarding instrument reliability and sample size. Future research is suggested to incorporate other predictor variables that may also be relevant to political communication skills.