Communication

10.1177/0093650205283100
de Vreese, Boomgaarden
Research/ Effects on Public Opinion

Communication Research
Volume 33 Number 1
February 2006 19-37
© 2006 Sage Publications

Media Message Flows and 10.1177/0093650205283100

http://cr.sagepub.com
hosted at
Interpersonal Communication http://online.sagepub.com

The Conditional Nature of

Effects on Public Opinion
1
Claes H. de Vreese
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hajo G. Boomgaarden
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

This study investigates the differential effects of exposure and attention to news and of
interpersonal communication on change in public opinion under the condition of one-
sided or two-sided information flows. Based on Zaller’s theory of public opinion dynam-
ics, for less politically sophisticated individuals, we expected media to influence changes
in opinion under the condition of a one-sided message flow. We further expected politi-
cally sophisticated individuals to rely more on cues for opinion change stemming from
interpersonal communication. The study draws on two-wave panel surveys and media
content analyses of television news and national newspapers. The results confirmed our
hypotheses and showed media effects for less politically sophisticated individuals under
the condition of a one-sided message flow and effects of interpersonal communication
for politically sophisticated individuals. Media had no effect under the condition of a
two-sided message flow. The study concludes with a discussion of the conditionality of
media effects and the moderating role of political sophistication.

Keywords: public opinion; John Zaller; media message flow; interpersonal communi-
cation; political sophistication

C ommunication scholars argue that in addition to internalized, more or less stable

political predispositions, citizens (increasingly) make use of flows of informa-
tion in forming and determining the direction of their political attitudes. Television,
newspapers, and conversations about politics with other people expose citizens to
messages carrying evaluative content. Therefore, both mass communication and inter-
personal communication are important sources of political information and anteced-
ents of formulating and changing political attitudes.
Several scholars stress the influence of the flow of information from the mass
media (e.g., Bartels, 1993; Dalton, Beck, & Huckfeldt, 1998; Zaller, 1996). However,
a key antecedent of public attitudes, interpersonal communication about politics,

19
20 Communication Research

needs to be better integrated in our understanding of public opinion dynamics (see

Chaffee & Mutz, 1998; and Reardon & Rogers, 1988). The simultaneous influences of
mass-mediated information and interpersonal communication have rarely been inves-
tigated in the same study (for exceptions, see Beck, Dalton, Greene, & Huckfeldt,
2002; and Mutz, 1998). Glynn, Herbst, O’Keefe, and Shapiro (1999) concluded that
“oddly, most of the recent studies of communication influences on public opinion
have left out the role of interpersonal conversation and discussion, the most common
grounding for opinion development and change” (p. 409). In this study, we look at
both the effects of mass media and of interpersonal communication on changes in pub-
lic opinion. We moreover investigate the conditional nature of the way both mass
media and interpersonal communication affect changes in public opinion by identify-
ing the intensity and patterns of evaluations in media messages and by specifying how
political sophistication moderates the effects.

Mass Media and Interpersonal Communication

The effects of message flows on public opinion and policy preferences have been
subject to considerable scholarly scrutiny. The theorizing by John Zaller (1992) pro-
vides guidance to studies of communication flows and public opinion formation and
change. Zaller proposed a model of how citizens form considerations in response to
information. The reception and acceptance of new information is contingent on an
individuals’level of political awareness: The higher a person’s level of political aware-
ness, the greater the likelihood that the individual receives new messages, for example
from the news. Attitude change then for some individuals occurs as a result of the
composition of messages and ideas to which they are exposed.2
Although Zaller’s initial work (1992) on attitude change focused in particular on
the role of political elites, he later framed his argument in terms of the effects of mass
communication (Zaller, 1996). As he argues, the effects of elite and mediated commu-
nication are related because “politicians and journalists communicate to the public
mainly through the mass media” (p. 21). Indeed, the observation that most informa-
tion about politics reaching citizens is mediated is shared by many authors (see e.g.,
Bennett & Entman, 2001). If the news media are to impact on political attitudes and
public policy preferences, it is assumed that their content needs to provide a consistent
directional bias—a one-sided information flow (Zaller, 1992, 1996). Moreover, audi-
ences must be attentive to such cues for news media to have measurable effects. The
condition under which news media are least likely to have an effect is if the public is
exposed to both sides of an issue. The effects of exposure to mixed evaluative content
are likely to cancel each other out. This condition is dubbed the two-sided information
flow (Zaller, 1992, 1996). This dynamic can occur at the individual level—if an indi-
vidual is exposed to mixed cues—and at the aggregate level considering the direction
bias of a media market or a country’s media.
A consistent directional bias of news (one-sided message flow), however, which
may entail either an ideological bias or an emphasis on either positive or negative
aspects of an event or issue, can have a significant impact on the issue perception and
 de Vreese, Boomgaarden / Effects on Public Opinion 21

behavioral intention of citizens. The psychological process underlying responses to an

issue presented in either positive or negative terms has been demonstrated in the clas-
sical work by Kahneman and Tversky (1983) that deals with individual decision-
making under the condition of a perceived risk. By describing two identical scenarios
either in terms of potential gains or potential losses, they find that individuals are risk-
seeking when the outcome is discussed in terms of losses but risk-averse when the out-
come is discussed in terms of potential gains. People are generally more willing to take
a risk to avoid a loss than to achieve a gain. Accordingly, the effects of exposure and
attention to news media on political attitudes and policy support are contingent on the
consistency of the tone of the news.
Interpersonal communication impacts on attitudes and behavior in several ways.
Talking politics—meaning engaging in talking, discussing, or arguing about political
issues—is at the core of democracy (Barber, 1984). Interpersonal communication,
either among individuals or in groups, facilitates a better understanding of political
issues and can lead to significant changes in attitudes and support for policies (e.g.,
Fishkin, 1991; Fishkin & Laslett, 2003). Engaging in political conversations also
enhances the quality of opinions (Price, Cappella, & Nir, 2002) and is an antecedent
for political participation (Kim, Wyatt, & Katz, 1999; McLeod, Scheufele, & Moy,
1999). In fact, in the absence of other sources of information, interpersonal com-
munication is the most influential source of attitude change (Mondak, 1995). How-
ever, only few, recent investigations of vote choice and political participation have
addressed the simultaneous and interactive effects of mass media and interpersonal
communication.
Beck et al. (2002) found that interpersonal communication weighed heavier in vot-
ers’ decision on whom to vote for than cues obtained from the mass media. One study
showed interpersonal communication to moderate the effects of mass media because
citizens’ react and make use of information provided by the media differently
(Scheufele, 2002). Another study found interpersonal communication to mediate the
influence of mass communication so that mass media information is either reinforced
or rejected depending on the structure of citizens’discussant networks (Schmitt-Beck,
2003). All studies point to the need to better integrate both types of communication in
our understanding of public opinion dynamics.

The Moderating Function of Political Sophistication

Changes in public opinion mostly do not imply the replacement of a crystallized
belief by another but rather a change in the balance of positive and negative consider-
ations relating to a given issue. The magnitude of change is contingent on a person’s
political predispositions.3 Resistance to change as a result of new information tends to
be more pronounced among highly politically aware persons, because they are more
likely to possess the contextual information necessary to perceive the implications of
new arguments for a given issue. However, these effects can be quite different,
depending on the relative intensity of the opposing messages and individuals’ prior
stores of information. Generally speaking, moderately aware individuals are most
22 Communication Research

likely to be both exposed to and affected by new information. However, the least aware
persons are most susceptible to influence in situations in which the information flow is
very intense (Beck et al., 2002; Zaller, 1992).
The literature on media effects also emphasizes the differential effects of media as
a function of political sophistication. However, there is inconsistent evidence with
respect to the impact of mass media among individuals with high or low levels of polit-
ical sophistication.4 Political sophistication may enhance media learning (McLeod,
Kosicki, & McLeod, 2002) but may moderate other effects. Agenda-setting effects
appear to be moderated by political sophistication with less knowledgeable individu-
als being more susceptible (Iyengar & Kinder, 1987). Similarly, in priming research
Krosnick and Kinder (1990) found politically knowledgeable persons to be less sus-
ceptible to priming effects. Krosnick and Brannon (1993), however, demonstrated
that political expertise facilitates priming effects. This was specified by Miller and
Krosnick (2000) who found the strongest priming effects for politically knowledge-
able citizens that also trust media sources. In framing effects research, Kinder and
Sanders (1990) showed that persons with lower levels of political information were
more susceptible to framing effects, and Valentino, Beckman, and Buhr (2001) found
stronger framing effects on turnout intention for participants with lower levels politi-
cal sophistication. Considering both the results from studies of media effects and
Zaller’s (1992) observations, we expect when investigating opinion change, those
individuals who are less politically aware, but still exposed to media messages, to be
most affected.
When looking at how political sophistication moderates effects of interpersonal
communication, our theoretical expectations are to a lesser degree drawing on pre-
vious research. Highly politically sophisticated people are more likely to talk about
politics and are more likely to develop better opinions (Kim et al., 1999). More impor-
tantly, individuals high on political sophistication are more likely to rely on interper-
sonal cues than on media cues (Atwater, Salwen, & Anderson, 1985). Linking this
finding with Zaller’s (1992, 1996) argument that in a situation where the media cover-
age is one-sided, the most highly aware persons are likely to resist the media message
flow, we expect that under the condition of a one-sided mass media information flow,
highly politically sophisticated individuals are more likely to resist mass media mes-
sages and resort to interpersonal conversations for cues to opinion change.
However, interpersonal communication can also contribute to attitude change for
less politically sophisticated individuals. Mondak (1995) demonstrated that in a situa-
tion where media are absent, interpersonal communication is the most influential
source of attitude change. In the absence of mass media information flows, this effect,
according to Zaller’s (1992) reasoning, is likely to be most pronounced for individuals
with low levels of political awareness. When exposed to new arguments, these individ-
uals have less preexisting knowledge to draw on and are, therefore, more likely to react
to arguments put forward in conversations and discussions. We may thus expect that in
a situation in which media coverage about an issue is almost absent or ambiguous,
 de Vreese, Boomgaarden / Effects on Public Opinion 23

interpersonal communication about this issue affects individuals with lower levels of
political sophistication.
Based on these considerations, we test a model of how media message flows and
interpersonal communication affect public opinion. We expect that exposure and
attention to news media affects public policy support. We hypothesize that this is a
conditional relationship. Following Zaller (1992, 1996), we assume that a two-sided
information flow—in which the advantages and disadvantages of a political issue are
both present—is likely to result in no media effects, as the different cues cancel each
other out. We further expect that a one-sided information flow produces media effects.
These can be effects of a consistent negative bias, presenting an issue in terms of risks
and losses, which will lead to lower levels of support for the policy as individuals will
tend to favor the status quo situation, thereby invoking risk-aversive behavior. Con-
versely, consistently positive news coverage of the issue, focusing on the potential
gains and advantages, invokes gain-seeking behavior and increases support.

Hypothesis 1: The impact of exposure and attention to news media coverage on change in
public policy support is contingent on the consistency of the message flow. A one-sided
(positive or negative) message flow leads to change in public support, whereas a two-
sided information flow yields no media effects.

We expect the impact of mediated information, under the condition of a one-sided

information flow (see Hypothesis 1), to be moderated by political sophistication.

Hypothesis 2: The impact of mass media on change in policy support is moderated by

political sophistication. Highly politically sophisticated individuals are less likely to be
affected by mass media content. Less politically sophisticated individuals are more likely
to be affected by mass media content.

We further expect that interpersonal communication affects attitude change differ-

entially, as specified above, contingent on an individual’s level of political sophistica-
tion and the presence of either a one-sided or two-sided media message flow.

Hypothesis 3: The impact of interpersonal communication on change in policy support is

moderated by political sophistication and message flows. Highly politically sophisti-
cated individuals are affected by interpersonal communication under a condition of a
one-sided media message flow. Politically less sophisticated individuals are affected by
interpersonal communication under the condition of an absent or two-sided media mes-
sage flow.

Table 1 synthesizes our theory-driven expectations. It illustrates the differential

effects taking context in terms of message flow as well as personal predispositions in
terms of political sophistication into account.
24 Communication Research

Table 1
Expected influences of mass media message flows and
interpersonal communication conditioned by level of political sophistication
Media Message Flow

One Sided Two Sided

High political sophistication No media effect No media effect

Interpersonal communication No interpersonal communication
effect effect
Low political sophistication Media effect No media effect
No interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication
effect effect

Methods

In this article, we further pursue John Zaller’s ideas. As noted by Zaller (1996), it is
challenging to study the differential effects of media message flows because mass
communication is “relatively stable over time” (p. 19) and thereby creates a problem
of variance in the message flow. To test the differential effects of mass and interper-
sonal communication moderated by political sophistication under the condition of
either one-sided or two-sided message flows, we need a design with variation in the
intensity and tone of communication flows and individual-level differences in politi-
cal awareness.
To effectively study the dynamics of public opinion, a controlled experimental
design in which we manipulate the tone of the news that randomly assigned partici-
pants were exposed to could be considered. However, our expectations derived from
the theory suggest that only a consistent tone in the news, either positive or negative, is
likely to have an effect. This proposition implies a temporal component, which is not
easily built into experiments that tend to use single-exposure designs. Previous studies
have relied on cross-sectional survey data and proxies for indications of media con-
tent. As acknowledged by Zaller (1996), this is, however, “essentially a dynamic argu-
ment applied to static, or cross-sectional data” (p. 55).
To test our hypotheses, we therefore rely on a content analysis of television news
and newspapers and two identical two-wave panel surveys with nationally representa-
tive samples including measures of interpersonal communication and exposure and
attention to various media outlets (subject to the systematic content analysis). To
investigate the effects of news media and interpersonal communication, we focus on
the issue of the enlargement of the European Union. This topic is particularly suitable
for comparative research in which contextual differences (such as the valence of
media content) are expected to be of influence. We are interested in the dynamics in
public opinion. First, we add to our understanding of how information flows affect
political attitudes by investigating the impact of media and interpersonal communica-
tion in one model. Second, we look at actual media content to assess message flows
 de Vreese, Boomgaarden / Effects on Public Opinion 25

and understand differential effects of exposure and attention to news in different mes-
sage-flow environments. Third, given our interest in the dynamics of public opinion,
we do not draw on cross-sectional survey data but rather on a dynamic model of
change in public opinion.
We investigate the dynamics of public opinion and the role of media message flows
and interpersonal communication by drawing on a quasi-experimental design. To
ensure variation in the level and type of news media coverage, we conducted a media
content analysis and collected panel survey data in two countries. As explained in the
Results section, in one country (Denmark), the news coverage was strongly positive (a
one-sided message flow, our experimental condition), whereas in the other country
(the Netherlands), the news was mixed (a two-sided message flow, our control condi-
tion). The study was carried out during a European Council meeting in which the
European leaders met in Denmark in 2002. Choosing the Netherlands as the compari-
son was done because it is one of the few countries from which we know that media
coverage of a similar meeting of the European Council in 1997 had significant effects
on public opinion (see Semetko, van der Brug, & Valkenburg, 2003).
Arguably, there are differences between Denmark and the Netherlands but also
many similarities in terms of political system (coalition governments), media system
(high newspaper readership and competitive broadcasting market with remaining
strong public service ethos [see e.g., Lauf, 2001]) and standard of living. We are not
interested in the level of policy support (for which differences between the countries
would be particularly relevant) but rather in the antecedents and dynamics of change.
Moreover, the potential differences between the two countries are expressed in our
time one-measure (where the level of policy support is different). Between our two
time points, the key difference was that Danish news had a one-sided media coverage,
whereas Dutch news had a two-sided coverage. In this design, therefore, we aim to
meet Zaller’s (1992, 1996) call for investigations in contexts with different flows of
information. We elaborate by investigating individual-level change for a single issue
(as opposed to analyzing different issues to illustrate differential effects).
Our surveys were fielded about 3 weeks ahead of the summit and immediately after
the summit.5 The response rates in Denmark were 77.9% in Wave I and 82.8% in Wave
II with a net sample of 1,288 respondents participating in both waves. In the Nether-
lands, this was 70.9% in Wave I and 63.3% in Wave II with a net sample of 2,136
respondents participating in both waves.6 To assess the quality of our data, we in-
cluded the standard Eurobarometer support-for-country’s-EU-membership question
in our survey (Eurobarometer 58/European Commission, 2003). Sixty percent of our
respondents in Denmark and 66% in the Netherlands reported considering the mem-
bership of their country in the EU a good thing. This compares to 61% and 69%
respectively in EB 58, which was fielded in October 2002.

Survey
The dependent variable was an eight-item index forming a scale of EU enlargement
support. Questions were answered on 5-point agree-disagree scales and included
26 Communication Research

questions such as “The enlargement of the EU is important for the future of the EU”
(all items are listed in the appendix). The items were recoded when appropriate to
7
form a scale of EU enlargement support. The means and scale consistencies were
Denmark Wave 1: M = 3.10, SD = .84, alpha =. 92; Wave 2: M = 3.26, SD = .81, alpha =
. 93; the Netherlands Wave 1: M = 2.87, SD = .68, alpha =. 87; Wave 2: M = 2.84, SD =
.70, alpha = .88.
The key independent variables included a combined measure of exposure to televi-
sion news and newspapers and attention to news about the EU. We include attention
given the potential inaccuracy of relying solely on exposure measures (Chaffee &
Schleuder, 1986).8 We use a combined measure of television news and newspaper
exposure given the similarity in terms of coverage between the media outlets in each of
the countries (see the description of the results of the content analysis below). A
greater diversity of the news media coverage would favor using our detailed exposure
measure to each of the different outlets but given the similarity in content we use an
additive index. The index includes number of days watching television news (0 to 7)
and reading a newspaper (0 to 7 in Denmark and 0 to 6 in the Netherlands) plus atten-
tion to EU affairs (ranging from 1 to 4). Our second important independent variable,
interpersonal communication about EU affairs, was tapped by a 4-point scaled mea-
sure of frequency of ‘discussing EU affairs with family, friends or colleagues’ (Den-
mark M = 2.87, SD = .89; the Netherlands M = 2.05, SD = .96). We note that Zaller
(1992) is highly critical of conventional media exposure measures given potential
measurement error. Zaller (1996), however, also stresses (following Bartels, 1993)
that when different levels of exposure or exposure to specific media outlets are impor-
tant, one needs to include actual exposure measures rather than proxies.
To provide a conservative test of communication effects, a number of control vari-
ables are added to the model. Public support for European integration has been ex-
plained in terms of rather stable predispositions and fluctuating perceptions of domes-
tic politics and the economy. Among the latter utilitarian, economic considerations
(e.g., Gabel & Palmer, 1995) and satisfaction with the incumbent government (e.g.,
Franklin, van der Eijk, & Marsh, 1995; Ray, 2003) are the most developed predictors.
EU citizens in different socioeconomic situations experience different costs and bene-
fits from integrative policy that affects their level of support. Accordingly, individuals
with more positive economic outlooks are more likely to support integration (Ander-
son & Reichert, 1996; Gabel, 1998). Furthermore, studies suggest that citizens resort
to proxies when formulating their view on integration and that these proxies are likely
to be based on national political considerations (Anderson, 1998; Franklin, Marsh, &
Wlezien, 1994). Given the low level of actual information about the integration pro-
cess, evaluations of the incumbent government drive opinions about integration
(Franklin et al., 1994; Franklin et al., 1995). To control for the impact of domestic
political considerations, we used respondents’ assessment of the domestic govern-
ment ranging on a 5-point scale from very bad to very good. To test the utilitarian per-
spective, we included a measure of prospective economic evaluations (following
Anderson, 1998) ranging from a lot worse to a lot better.9
 de Vreese, Boomgaarden / Effects on Public Opinion 27

To investigate the potentially differential effects on individuals with varying levels

of political sophistication, we divided our sample into high and low politically sophis-
ticated respondents at the mean (see Beck et al., 2002, for a similar procedure). Politi-
cal sophistication was a combined measure of factual political knowledge and politi-
cal interest (Denmark M = 2.78, SD = .89; the Netherlands M = 1.96, SD = .91). All
independent variables ranged from 1 to 5; and the means, standard deviations, and
internal consistency of our scales as well as the specific wording of all items can be
found in the Appendix.

Content Analysis
To assess the flow of media messages in terms of salience and evaluative tone, a
content analysis of television news and daily newspapers was carried out in the period
between the two waves of the survey (from November 25 to December 16). The sam-
ple consisted of the most widely watched public broadcasting news programs DR TV-
Avisen (9 pm) in Denmark and NOS Journaal (8 pm) in the Netherlands and the most
widely watched commercial television news programs TV2 Nyhederne (7 pm) in Den-
mark and RTL Nieuws (7:30 pm) in the Netherlands. A total of 1,477 news stories were
coded from these four outlets.10 The newspaper sample included the front-page of the
five most widely read dailies in Denmark (Politiken, JyllandsPosten, Berlingske
Tidende, BT, and EkstraBladet, all published Monday through Sunday) and in the
Netherlands (de Volkskrant, Telegraaf, NRC Handelsblad, Algemeen Dagblad, and
Trouw, all published Monday through Saturday). A total of 1,797 newspaper articles
were analyzed.11 The sample of news outlets covers the most important sources of
political information and includes broadsheet and tabloid newspapers as well as pub-
lic service and private broadcasting news programs.
The content analysis was completed by two native Dutch speakers and two native
Danish speakers (all were MA-students at the University of Amsterdam). Coders were
trained and supervised frequently and the inter-coder reliability test conducted in pairs
of coders for each language on a sample of 50 news stories, randomly selected from
the news outlets included in the study, produced Cohen K ranging from .87 to 1.00 for
the measures relevant to this study. We report the visibility of news stories about the
EU enlargement, European integration, and the EU, which were defined as stories
“about the EU, its institutions, policies, politics etc. when these terms are mentioned in
at least two complete, independent sentences.” To assess the tone of these stories, we
use a measure of explicit evaluations of the EU enlargement. Using each news story as
the unit of analysis, it was coded whether the story as a whole portrayed the enlarge-
ment in a neutral way, in a favorable way (highlighting advantages, opportunities, and
positive aspects), in an unfavorable way (highlighting disadvantages, risks, and nega-
tive aspects), or in a mixed manner (combination of favorable and unfavorable). We
calculated a mean evaluation for each news outlet ranging from –1 to +1 by subtract-
ing the number of negative evaluations from the number of positive evaluations and
dividing this by the total number of stories mentioning the EU enlargement.
28 Communication Research

Results

We first look at the dynamics in public opinion at the aggregate level. Using our
index of support for the EU enlargement, we found a significant increase in support in
the case of a one-sided message flow (Denmark) from M = 3.10 to 3.26. In the case of a
two-sided message flow (the Netherlands), the level of support remained stable be-
tween the two waves (M = 2.87 and 2.84). We next turn to the news media coverage in
the period between the two waves. We are particularly interested in assessing the visi-
bility and tone of news about European integration. The number of stories varied, and
Danish news media devoted much more attention to the topic. Danish television news
carried more than 250 stories, and there were more than 80 front-page stories in the
press. Dutch television news aired 25 news stories and there were 70 newspaper front-
page stories.12
Looking at the evaluative tone of stories about the EU enlargement, we find that
Dutch news was mixed and the overall average was M = .00. In 60% of the news, there
was no explicit evaluation, whereas in 7% there was an explicitly negative evaluation,
13
in 25% a mixed evaluation and in 7% an explicitly positive evaluation. Danish news
was strongly biased towards positive evaluations and the overall average was M =
+.14. In 51% of the cases, there was no explicit evaluation, whereas in 6%, there was
an explicitly negative evaluation, in 16% a mixed evaluation and in 27% an explicitly
positive evaluation.
Given that we know that most news tends to be either neutral (with few evalua-
tions and most evaluations equally present) or slightly negative (Kepplinger, 2005;
Kepplinger & Weissbecker, 1991), we can conclude that Dutch news conformed to
general expectations and provided a mixed, two-sided coverage. Danish news, how-
ever, was biased towards positive evaluations and, therefore, provides a context with a
one-sided message flow. We acknowledge that Danish news was not 100% positive.
However, this is a rather unrealistic expectation. With more than 50% of the news neu-
tral and more than 50% of the news with a clear evaluation being positive, this is as
close as we can get to a one-sided message flow in a democratic society where news
tends to highlight opposing arguments (see Zaller, 1996, for a similar reasoning).
Turning to the multivariate analysis in which the effects of interpersonal and mass
media communication under the condition of different media message flows were
assessed simultaneously, we find the following when controlling for our time1-
measure (see Table 2). Exposure and attention to news affected politically less sophis-
ticated individuals under the condition of a one-sided media message flow. There were
no media effects amongst highly politically sophisticated individuals. As expected,
there were also no media effects in the condition in which the media message flow was
two-sided. Interpersonal communication affected individuals with a high level of
political sophistication when the media message flow was one-sided and individuals
with a low level of political sophistication when the media content was minimal and
two-sided. Technically speaking, our expectations predict an interaction between
interpersonal discussion and political sophistication. For reasons of presentational
clarity, we present separate regressions for high and low political sophisticates. In two
 Table 2
Impact of Message Flow and Interpersonal Communication on Change in Public Opinion
Low Political Sophistication
1 2
One-Sided Message Flow Two-Sided Message Flow
High Political Sophistication
1 2
One-Sided Message Flow Two-Sided Message Flow

Beta SE n Beta SE n Beta SE n Beta SE n

Policy support (t1) .76*** .03 .70*** .02 .82*** .02 .75*** .02
Evaluation domestic government .08** .02 .01 .01 .06** .02 –.01 .01
Economic expectations .04 .02 .17*** .01 .09*** .02 .17*** .01
Interpersonal communication .03 .02 –.04* .01 .04 * .02 –.03 .01
Media exposure and EU politics
attention .08** .02 –.01 .01 .02 .01 .02 .02
n 472 1,137 705 920
R2 .65 .63 .73 .68

Note: OLS regressions. Entries are standardized beta coefficients and standard errors.
1 = context with consistent, one-sided message flow (Denmark); 2 = context with two-sided message flow (the Netherlands).
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

29
30 Communication Research

separate regression models (one in each country; regressions not reported here), we
included the interaction term between interpersonal communication and political
sophistication. The interaction terms were significant in the hypothesized direction.
Hypotheses 1, 2, and 3 are therefore confirmed.
In both countries, positive economic assessments and positive evaluations of the
incumbent government affected change in public opinion. Following our expecta-
tions, economic evaluations were a consistent positive predictor and positive evalua-
tions of the government were positively related to support in Denmark.
To further put our hypotheses to test, we return to our media content analysis.
Although all Danish news outlets reported predominantly positively about the EU
enlargement, one newspaper deviated from this pattern and provided a mixed (i.e.,
two-sided) coverage. This newspaper (Politiken) carried 23% neutral, 30% negative,
23% mixed, and 23% positive stories. Following our hypothesis, we expected readers
of this particular newspaper, who did not rely on other mass media information
sources and were therefore exposed to a two-sided message flow, not to be influenced
by the news coverage because the two-sided messages cancel out each others’ effect.
Moreover, we expected individuals with a low level of political sophistication to draw
on interpersonal sources whereas individuals with higher levels of sophistication were
not expected to be affected.
Table 3 confirms these expectations. Exposure to the two-sided media content did
not affect opinions. Individuals with a low level of political sophistication were
affected by interpersonal communication, whereas individuals with higher levels of
education were not affected by interpersonal communication. These findings are sta-
tistically significant despite the limited number of cases and it provides additional evi-
dence to the hypothesized relationships.

Discussion

Our study of the dynamics of public opinion showed that news media mattered
when the message flow was one-sided but not when the flow was two-sided. Under the
condition of a one-sided media message flow, media effects were found among indi-
viduals with a lower level of political sophistication. This evidence corroborates
Zaller’s (1992, 1996) two-sided information flow hypothesis that suggests that mixed
cues are likely to cancel each other out, whereas a consistent and pervasive direc-
tional news bias may shift public opinion. We add to this knowledge that interper-
sonal communication affected individuals with a high level of political sophistica-
tion when the media message flow was one-sided and individuals with a low level of
political sophistication when the media content was minimal in terms of visibility and
two-sided.
We confirmed our hypotheses in two contexts. In one country, the news coverage
was two-sided and public opinion was not affected by citizens’ exposure and attention
to media content. In another country, the news coverage was one-sided and public
opinion was affected, albeit moderated by the level of individuals’ political sophisti-
 de Vreese, Boomgaarden / Effects on Public Opinion 31

Table 3
Impact of Interpersonal Communication Conditioned by
Political Sophistication Under a Two-Sided Message Flow
a
Two-Sided Message Flow

Low Political Sophistication High Political Sophistication

Beta SE n Beta SE n

Policy support (t1) .85*** .08 .84*** .05

Evaluation domestic government –.06 .06 .11* .04
Economic expectations .11 .06 .08 .04
Interpersonal communication .24* .07 .07 .06
Exposure and EU politics attention –.06 .08 .01 .05
n 39 9
R2 .76 78

Note: OLS regressions. Entries are standardized beta coefficients and standard errors.
a. The analysis is based on the readers of the newspaper Politiken which provided a two-sided news coverage
in the period of the study. Exposure denotes number of days reading the newspaper. Dependent variable is
policy support at t2.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

cation. However, within the context of one-sided news coverage, the readers of one
newspaper were in fact exposed to two-sided media content. For this group, public
opinion was left unaffected by media content, as we hypothesized.
Our study points to the importance of integrating mass mediated and interpersonal
communication (as suggested by Reardon and Rogers, 1988) and differentiating be-
tween the effects on different groups of citizens. We draw our conclusion based on
two-wave panel surveys and media content analyses in two different contexts: one
with a one-sided media message flow and one with a two-sided message flow. This
quasi-experimental design enabled us to assess the differential role played by the
media in the public opinion formation process.
This study informs both about the conditional nature of the effects of media mes-
sage flows and of interpersonal communication on the dynamics of public opinion.
The media mattered to change in public opinion but only in the context in which the
news media reported considerable in amount and in a consistent tone about a political
event. We see this conditional nature of media effects on public policy support and
preferences as an important contribution to our knowledge of how media can influ-
ence public opinion. Future research needs to specify the conditions in more detail.
Zaller (1996, 2002) argued that news media need to provide a reasonably exten-
sive coverage of an issue for it to have (measurable) effects. We would expect this pat-
tern to be moderated by the type of issue. For issues that are not obtrusive and for
which citizens rely almost entirely on news media as their source of information, it can
be expected that even peripheral cues, if consistent, are picked up by the attentive
citizen.
32 Communication Research

We found that patterns of interpersonal communication were an important addition

to our understanding of change in public opinion. We found interpersonal communi-
cation to affect citizens differently depending on their level of political sophistication
and—as a contextual factor—the information flow from mass media. We note that the
direction of the effect was different in our two conditions. In one case, interpersonal
communication contributed to an increase in public policy support (under condition of
a one-sided message flow), whereas in the other case, it contributed to a decrease
(under condition of a two-sided message flow).
Our study does not allow us to assess the contents of the interpersonal discussions.
Potentially, the cues in these conversations differed in valence (as did the news cover-
age). Future research would benefit from indicators of the content and tone of inter-
personal communication so as to investigate whether interpersonal interactions are
one-sided (and potentially reinforcing of media content) or two-sided, providing
oppositional information. Moreover, the issues about which individuals engage in
conversations about politics and the diversity of their network of discussants are emi-
nent questions (see e.g., Hovland, Janis, & Kelley, 1953; and Scheufele, 2002).
Following these considerations, we acknowledge that our study has a number of
caveats. First, the conceptualization of interpersonal communication is limited and
future studies need to further enhance the measurement of the strength of engagement
in interpersonal discussions about politics. In combination with a more detailed
assessment of the content of interpersonal discussions, this might also help under-
standing the different directions of the impact of interpersonal political discussion.
Second, the model of differential effects of media message flows and interpersonal
communication moderated by political sophistication needs to be expanded to other
policy issues. Although we consider it an asset for reasons of comparability to study
the same issue within the same time frame under different circumstances, future
research needs to consider the potentially moderating role of the issue under investiga-
tion. These shortcomings notwithstanding, for the study of public opinion change, it is
evident that future research must integrate interpersonal communication patterns and
media use in one model while also assessing the contents of both so as to better
understand when and why effects occur.

Appendix
M SD alpha

Variable NL DK NL DK NL DK

Support EU enlargement (t1) 2.87 3.10 0.68 0.84 .87 .92

Support for EU enlargement (t2) -2.84 -3.26 -0.90 -0.81 -.88 -.93

1. The EU should be enlarged with countries from the former East bloc such as Lithuania and Poland,
2. The EU should be enlarged with Turkey,
3. The enlargement of the EU is important for the future of the EU,
4. Denmark OR the Netherlands will experience more advantages than disadvantages from the
enlargement,
 de Vreese, Boomgaarden / Effects on Public Opinion 33

5. For me personally, the enlargement brings more advantages than disadvantages,

6. The enlargement of the EU will have negative effects on the Danish OR Dutch economy,
7. The enlargement is necessary for peace in Europe,
8. The enlargement should wait until the current Union functions better.

News exposure and attention EU news 3.68 4.37 1.02 0.98

Frequency of media exposure (additive) and attention EU:

number of days watching television news (0 to 7)
reading a newspaper (0 to 7 in Denmark and 0 to 6 in the Netherlands)
attention for EU affairs (1 to 4).

Recoded to range from 1 to 5.

Interpersonal communication (1-4) 2.05 2.87 0.96 0.89

Frequency of discussing EU affairs

Political sophistication 1.96 2.78 0.91 0.89

Combined index political knowledge and political interest:

What is the number of commissioners in the EU commission? (20)
What is the name of the current president of the European commission? (Prodi)
What is the name of the Danish OR Dutch commissioner? (Nelson OR Bolkestein)
Which country currently holds the presidency of the EU? (Denmark)
What is the number of countries seeking membership of the EU? (10, 12, 13) 1 = correct,
0 = incorrect
How interested are you in politics? (1 = no interest; 2 = some interest; 3 = considerable interest;
4 = high interest)

Index recoded to range from 1-5.

Evaluation domestic government (1 to 5) 3.25 3.65 1.06 1.08

How do you think the current government is handling its job? 1 = very bad, 2 = bad,
3 = neither good nor bad, 4 = good, 5 = very good

Economic evaluation (1 to 5) 3.07 3.65 0.82 1.08

What do you expect the Dutch economy to be like a year from now? 1 = a lot worse, 2 = worse,
3 = neither worse nor better, 4 = better, 5 = a lot better.

NL = Netherlands; DK = Denmark.

Notes
1. The study was made available through a research grant from the Danish Social Science Research
Council to the first author. Claes de Vreese thanks the Minda de Gunzberg Center for European Studies at
Harvard University for providing a stimulating work environment when the first version of the manuscript
was written. The Dutch Science Foundation is thanked for its travel grant. The authors thank the anonymous
reviewers for helpful suggestions.
34 Communication Research

2. Zaller’s (1992) theory also deals with the nature of political attitudes and how these are transformed
into answers to survey questions. These particular contributions are not the focus of this study.
3. Particularly important in this model is ideology that is a key predictor in the, by-and-large, two-party
American political system.
4. We recognize the different conceptualisations and measurement of political sophistication. These are
called differently in the literature. Zaller (1992), for example, speaks of political awareness and measures
political knowledge. We use the term political sophistication that is based on a measure of political knowl-
edge and interest (see Mondak, 2001, for a discussion of these issues).
5. The specific fieldwork days were Denmark Wave I: November 21 to 28, 2002, Wave II: December 14
to 18, 2002; the Netherlands Wave I: November 19 to 26, 2002, Wave II: December 17 to 21, 2002.
6. In Denmark, the sample was drawn from the GfK Danmark database. A nationally representative
sample of 1,807 Danish adult (age 15+) individuals was invited to participate in the study out of which 1,444
did (response rate 77.9%). The same sample was approached in Wave 2 and generated a response rate of
82.8%, In Denmark, the questionnaire was a postal self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaire.
Response rates of this magnitude are not unusual for survey research in Scandinavia, where actual turnout is
also high (Granberg & Holmberg, 1991). In the Netherlands, the sample was drawn from the ITM Interna-
tional database with more than 55,000 respondents. A nationally representative sample of 5,321 Dutch
adults (age 15+) was invited to participate in the study out of which 3,375 did (response rate 70.9%). Of
these, 2,136 participated in the second wave resulting in a 63.3% response rate. In the Netherlands, the ques-
tionnaire was Web-administrated. Making use of a similar lay-out of the questionnaire in the two countries,
potential confounds because of question-and-response category layout were taken into account (Dillman,
2000). We consider it an asset that our study does not rely on Eurobarometer data (Eurobarometer 58/European
Commission, 2003). First, this is a cross-sectional survey instrument and does not allow for studying change
at the individual level. Second, the media exposure and attention measures in the Eurobarometer do not allow
for making a compelling link between survey measures and analyses of media content. Studies drawing on
data collected outside the Eurobarometer instrument are therefore a welcome addition to our knowledge
base.
7. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation confirmed the single-factor loading and
yielded one factor with an Eigen value of 5.08, explaining 56% of the variance.
8. We note, however, that using the exposure measure only (without the attention to EU news measure)
yields very similar results and does not in any way substantively alter the conclusions.
9. Previous research has identified a number of additional relationships between stable individual char-
acteristics, attitudes, and support, such as gender (men being more supportive) education and occupational
status (Gabel, 1998), materialist versus postmaterialistic values (Inglehart, 1990), ideology (i.e., not strong
right or left profile; Gabel, 1998), and attitudes toward immigrants (de Vreese & Boomgaarden, 2005).
These characteristics are stable and do not change between the panel waves. To account for these influences
and to study change, we use a lagged term for support for EU enlargement at Wave I (see Markus, 1979, for
discussion of the use of lagged specifications in panel data). This enables us to control for the level of initial
support and to assess change during the period between the two waves. We are particularly interested in atti-
tude change. Therefore, we do not include the control variables as separate variables in our model here
because the explanatory power of these variables is largely absorbed by the lag-term.
10. The entire news bulletin was coded. This included 554 stories from TV-Avisen, 458 stories from TV2
Nyhederne, 220 stories from NOS Journaal and 245 stories from RTL Nieuws.
11. The entire front-page of each newspaper was coded. If stories commencing on the front-page contin-
ued inside the newspaper, these stories were coded in full. A single headline (with no adjacent story) was not
coded. Bullets (a headline and a few short but full sentences) were included. The following number of arti-
cles was coded per newspaper: Politiken = 260, JyllandsPosten = 224, Berlingske Tidende = 223,
EkstraBladet = 90, BT = 89, de Volkskrant = 214, NRC = 231, AD = 186, Telegraaf = 135, and Trouw = 145.
The low number of articles from EkstraBladet and BT is because of the tabloid format of the newspaper and
the layout of the front page that includes only one or two stories per day.
12. The distribution during the 3 weeks was Danish television (weekly number of stories) = 14, 50,
and 188; Dutch television = 4, 11, and 10; Danish newspapers = 12, 29, and 43; Dutch newspapers = 10, 32,
and 28.
 de Vreese, Boomgaarden / Effects on Public Opinion 35

13. In the Netherlands, there were only minor differences between the outlets. Television news was gen-
erally more negative than the newspapers but included both positive and negative evaluations. The news-
paper de Volkskrant had an overall positive evaluation, but given the low number of stories (n = 3) in this
newspaper, we do not draw substantive conclusions from this finding.

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Department of Communication, University of Amsterdam.
 Jurnal Pekommas, Vol. 18 No. 1, April 2015: 53 - 62

Pengaruh Komunikasi Interpersonal antara Dosen dan Mahasiswa Terhadap

Motivasi Belajar dan Prestasi Akademik Mahasiswa

Effect of Interpersonal Communication Between Lecturer and Students of

Learning and Achievement Motivation for Students
Fauzi Abubakar
STIKes Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe
Jalan. Darussalam No. 47 Lhokseumawe - NAD
abubakarfauzi@yahoo.com
Diterima: 29 Desember 2014 || Revisi: 8 April 2015 || Disetujui: 14 April 2015

Abstrak - Aspek motivasi sangat penting dalam proses belajar di perguruan tinggi, karena motivasi akan
menentukan intensitas usaha belajar dan mendorong mahasiswa untuk melakukan aktivitas tertentu yang
berhubungan dengan kegiatan belajar. Motivasi belajar merupakan salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi
prestasi akademik mahasiswa. Prestasi akademik merupakan hasil dari kegiatan belajar sebagai indikator
kualitas dan kuantitas pengetahuan yang telah dikuasai mahasiswa. Hasil belajar yang optimal dipengaruhi
oleh berbagai komponen belajar mengajar, diantaranya komunikasi interpersonal dosen. Penelitian ini
bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh komunikasi interpersonal dosen terhadap motivasi belajar dan prestasi
akademik mahasiswa Ilmu Keperawatan di Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe.
Metode penelitian ini adalah penelitian kuantitatif yang bersifat korelasional Data penelitian dikumpulkan
dengan menggunakan kuisoner, kemudian data diolah serta dianalisis secara deskriptif. Landasan teori yang
digunakan yaitu teori pengungkapan diri (Self Disclosure Theory), yang dikemukakan oleh Sydney Marshall
Jourad. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa komunikasi interpersonal antara dosen dan mahasiswa
berpengaruh terhadap motivasi belajar sebesar 24,4 % dengan koefisien regresi 0,469 dan konstanta 18,644.
Sedangkan untuk variabel prestasi akademik, 1,04 % dipengaruhi oleh komunikasi interpersonal dosen dan
sisanya dipengaruhi oleh faktor-faktor lain.
Kata Kunci: komunikasi interpersonal, motivasi belajar, prestasi akademik

Abstract: Aspects of motivation is very important in the learning process in college, because motivation will
determine the intensity of the effort of learning and encourage students to perform certain activities related
to learning activities. Motivation to learn is one of the factors that influence students' academic achievement.
Academic achievement is the result of learning activities as an indicator of the quality and quantity of
knowledge that the student has mastered. Optimal learning results are influenced by various components of
learning, interpersonal communication among faculty. This study aimed to determine the effect of
interpersonal communication lecturer on learning motivation and academic achievement of students in the
School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe. This research is quantitative
research is correlational research data was collected using a questionnaire, then the data is processed and
analyzed descriptively. Theoretical basis used is the theory of self-disclosure (Self Disclosure Theory),
proposed by Marshall Jourad Sydney. The results showed that interpersonal communication between faculty
and students affect motivation of 24.4% with keofisien regression constants 0.469 and 18.644. As for the
variables of academic achievement, 1.04% influenced by interpersonal communication lecturer and the rest
influenced by other factors.
Keywords: interpersonal communication, motivation, achievement

PENDAHULUAN (Sendjaja, 1994: 77). Hubungan interpersonal

terbentuk dengan adanya komunikasi. Begitu juga
Manusia sebagai makhluk sosial memerlukan
komunikasi sangat dipengaruhi oleh hubungan dan
orang lain untuk saling berinteraksi. Hal ini
persepsi interpersonal antara sumber/ penyampai
merupakan suatu hakikat bahwa sebagian besar
informasi atau komunikator dengan penerima
pribadi manusia terbentuk dari hasil integrasi sosial
komunikan (Rakhmat, 2007: 80). Komunikasi dapat
dengan sesamanya. Hubungan interpersonal
dilakukan langsung secara verbal tanpa melalui
merupakan hal yang sangat penting dalam kehidupan
perantara media antara dua orang atau kelompok
manusia yang mempengaruhi kualitas kehidupan
secara aktif dan interaktif yang dikenal dengan istilah
53
Pengaruh Komunikasi Interpersonal antara Dosen dan Mahasiswa Terhadap…(Fauzi Abubakar)
komunikasi interpersonal. Sebagian besar kegiatan
komunikasi berlangsung dalam situasi komunikasi
interpersonal. Untuk mendefinisikan komunikasi
interpersonal agak sulit, karena ada beberapa
perspektif dalam melihat definisi tersebut.
Menurut Julia T. Wood (2013: 19), semua
komunikasi kecuali komunikasi intrapersonal adalah
komunikasi interpersonal, dan definisi komunikasi
interpersonal yang lebih lengkap, yaitu: pertama,
selektif (setiap orang akan memilih dengan siapa akan
berkomunikasi). Kedua, sistemik (dipengaruhi oleh
beberapa sistem seperti budaya, pengalaman pribadi
dan sebagainya), dan ketiga, unik (masing-masing
hubungan mengembangkan ritme dan pola tersendiri
yang khas). Keempat, prosesual adalah proses yang
berlangsung (ongoing) dan berkesinambunga
(continous), dan kelima, transaksi adalah proses
transaksi diantara orang-orang yang berkomunikasi
secara kontinyu dan bersamaan (simultaneously).
Komunikasi interpersonal adalah komunikasi
antara orang-orang secara tatap muka, yang
memungkinkan setiap pesertanya menangkap reaksi
orang lain secara langsung baik secara verbal ataupun
non verbal (Mulyana, 2004: 73). Komunikasi
interpersonal dianggap paling efektif dalam
mengubah sikap, pendapat atau perilaku seseorang,
karena sifatnya dialogis. Seperti yang diungkapkan
William F. Glueck (dalam Widjaja, 2000: 8),
komunikasi interpersonal merupakan salah satu
komunikasi yang dianggap sebagai komunikasi yang
paling efektif karena dilakukan secara langsung antara
komunikator dan komunikan, sehingga bisa
mempengaruhi satu sama lain. Komunikasi
interpersonal dapat terjadi antara anak dengan
orangtuanya, antara dosen dengan mahasiswa dan
sebagainya. Komunikasi antara dosen dan mahasiswa
dapat terjadi pada proses belajar mengajar, baik di
dalam kelas maupun diluar kelas. Proses belajar
mengajar merupakan suatu proses interaksi dosen dan
mahasiswa yang didasari oleh hubungan yang bersifat
mendidik dalam rangka mencapai tujuan pendidikan.
Karena itu proses belajar mengajar diartikan sebagai
proses komunikasi, yaitu proses penyampaian pesan
dari sumber pesan melalui saluran atau media tertentu
ke penerima pesan. Pesan yang akan disampaikan
adalah isi ajaran atau didikan yang ada dalam
kurikulum (Sadiman, 2011: 11).
Komunikasi interpersonal antara dosen dan
mahasiswa didalam proses belajar mengajar
54
merupakan faktor yang sangat penting dalam
menciptakan suasana belajar yang menyenangkan,
sehingga menimbulkan motivasi belajar pada
mahasiswa dan dosen merasakan kenyamanan dalam
mengajar. Komunikasi interpersonal dosen
memberikan penjelasan tentang apa yang harus
dilakukan mahasiswa dan seberapa baik mahsiswa
tersebut melakukan apa yang menjadi tugas`dan
tanggungjawabnya. Prestasi akademik mahasiswa
dapat optimal jika dibangun dengan komunikasi yang
baik. Menciptakan komunikasi yang baik diperlukan
kemampuan komunikasi seperti menulis, membaca,
berbicara, mendengarkan, dan berpikir (Mulyana,
2001:21). Sesuai dengan kajian teori komunikasi
interpersonal tersebut, hubungan antara dosen dan
mahasiswa dalam berkomunikasi sangat perlu.
Apabila hubungan antara dosen dengan mahasiswa
harmonis, dapat menciptakan komunikasi yang
efektif.
Komunikasi yang efektif adalah komunikasi yang
mampu menghasilkan perubahan sikap (attitude
change) pada orang yang terlibat dalam komunikasi.
Atau dapat dikatakan komunikasi yang efektif
merupakan saling bertukar informasi, ide,
kepercayaan, perasaan dan sikap antara dua orang
yang hasilnya sesuai dengan harapan. Menurut
Devito (2011: 256-264), komunikasi interpersonal
yang efektif memiliki indikator antara lain: (1)
Keterbukaan (openness) adalah kemauan menanggapi
dengan senang hati informasi yang diterima di dalam
menghadapi hubungan interpersonal. Keterbukaan
atau sikap terbuka sangat berpengaruh dalam
menumbuhkan komunikasi interpersonal yang efektif.
(2) Empati (empathy) adalah merasakan apa yang
dirasakan orang lain atau proses ketika seseorang
merasakan perasaan orang lain dan menangkap arti
perasaan itu kemudian mengkomunikasikannya
dengan kepekaan sedemikian rupa hingga
menunjukkan bahwa ia sungguh-sungguh mengerti
perasaan orang lain itu. (3) Dukungan
(supportiveness) adalah situasi yang terbuka untuk
mendukung agar komunikasi berlangsung efektif.
Sikap suportif adalah sikap yang mengurangi sikap
defensif dalam komunikasi. (4) Rasa positif
(positiveness) adalah perasaan positif terhadap diri
sendiri, kemampuan mendorong orang lain lebih aktif
berpartisipasi dan kemampuan menciptakan situasi
komunikasi kondusif untuk berinteraksi yang efektif.
Dan (5) Kesetaraan (equality) adalah pengakuan

kedua belah pihak saling menghargai, berguna dan
mempunyai sesuatu yang penting untuk
disumbangkan.
Berdasarkan indikator komunikasi interpersonal
tersebut, maka landasan teori yang digunakan dalam
penelitian ini adalah teori pengungkapan diri (Self
Disclosure Theory) yang dikemukakan oleh Sydney
Marshall Jourad. Pengungkapan diri (self disclosure)
merupakan sebuah proses mengungkapkan informasi
tentang diri sendiri kepada orang lain. Dalam
melakukan interaksi antara individu dengan orang
lain, apakah orang lain akan menerima atau menolak
dan bagaimana seseorang ingin orang lain mengetahui
tentang dirinya, semua itu ditentukan oleh bagaimana
individu dalam mengungkapkan dirinya (Freedman,
1994: 254). Sejalan dengan pendapat Devito (2011:
139), bahwa self disclosure juga diartikan sebagai
salah satu tipe komunikasi, dimana informasi tentang
diri yang biasa dirahasiakan namun dikomunikasikan
kepada orang lain. Dengan demikian pengungkapan
diri sebagai bagian dari komunikasi interpersonal
dipengaruhi oleh penilaian tergadap diri sendiri atau
harga diri. Harga diri sebagai evaluasi terhadap diri
sendiri sebagai hasil dari interaksi dengan teman dan
anggota keluarha dapat mempengaruhi sikap individu
terhadap dirinya dan terhadap orang lain. seseorang
dengan harga diri tinggi dapat memandang dirinya
sama dengan orang lain.
Penelitian ini didasarkan juga pada hasil penelitian
yang telah dilakukan sebelumya yang dianggap
mendukung kajian teori dalam penelitian yang penulis
lakukan. Paningkat Siburian (2014: 27) meneliti
hubungan komunikasi interpersonal dan motivasi
belajar dengan prestasi belajar penelitian pengajaran,
diperoleh hasil bahwa semakin baik komunikasi
interpersonal semakin tinggi prestasi belajar
penelitian pengajaran. Kemudian ada hubungan yang
berarti antara motivasi belajar dengan prestasi belajar,
yang mana semakin tinggi motivasi belajar semakin
tinggi prestasi belajar. Maka dalam rangka
meningkatkan prestasi belajar penelitian pengajaran
dari mahasiswa perlu usaha yang dapat meningkatkan
komunikasi interpersonal dan motivasi belajar
mahasiswa. Peningkatan komunikasi interpersonal
dan motivasi belajar dapat dilakukan dosen pengampu
mata kuliah dengan menerapkan metode pembelajaran
kooperatif dalam perkuliahan penelitian. Sedangkan
sisi perbedaan antara penelitian tersebut dengan
penelitian ini adalah penelitian ini menjadikan
Jurnal Pekommas, Vol. 18 No. 1, April 2015: 53 - 62
motivasi belajar sebagai variabel terikat bersamaan
dengan prestasi akademik mahasiswa. Berdasarkan
hasil penelitian tersebut menunjukan pentingnya
dosen memiliki kemampuan komunikasi interpersonal
meliputi: keterbukaan, empati, dukungan, rasa positif
dan kesetaraan, sehinggga kemampuan dosen ini
dapat mempengaruhi motivasi belajar dan pada
akhirnya berpengaruh pada prestasi akademik
mahasiswa.
Aspek motivasi sangat penting dalam proses
belajar mengajar, karena motivasi akan menentukan
intensitas usaha belajar yang dilakukan mahasiswa.
Motivasi juga dapat mendorong mahasiswa untuk
melakukan aktivitas-aktivitas`tertentu yang
berhubungan dengan kegiatan belajar. Disamping itu
motivasi dapat memberikan semangat mahasiswa
dalam kegiatan-kegiatan belajarnya dan memberi
petunjuk atas perbuatan yang dilakukannya. Sejalan
dengan pendapat Hawley dalam Prayitno (1989: 3),
yang menyatakan bahwa mahasiswa yang memiliki
motivasi yang tinggi, belajar lebih baik dibandingkan
dengan mahasiswa yang memiliki motivasi rendah.
Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa yang
memiliki motivasi belajar yang tinggi akan tekun
belajar dan terus belajar secara kontinyu tanpa
mengenal putus asa serta dapat mengesampingkan
hal-hal yang dapat mengganggu kegiatan belajar yang
dilakukan. Penunjang utama proses belajar mengajar
adalah adanya motivasi belajar bagi peserta didik
yang terstruktur dan terkonstruk dengan baik.
Sedangkan urgensi daripada motivasi adalah sebagai
pendorong, penggerak dan sebagai suatu pengarah
terhadap tujuan (Hamalik, 2005: 154). Komunikasi
interpersonal yang efektif dan menyenangkan dapat
mempermudah penyampaian pesan dalam
pembelajaran, hal ini akan berdampak pada terhadap
prestasi belajar (Mulyana, 2011: 11). Komunikasi
yang baik antara dosen dan mahasiswa tentunya akan
menghasilkan kualitas peserta didik yang lebih baik,
salah satunya ditandai dengan peningkatan prestasi
akademik mahasiswa. Sebaliknya komunikasi yang
kurang baik antara dosen dan mahasiswa justru akan
berdampak terhadap menurunnya prestasi akademik
mahasiswa tersebut.
Prestasi akademik merupakan suatu masalah yang
menjadi topik utama dalam bidang pendidikan,
karena prestasi akademik merupakan indikator
kualitas dan kuantitas pengetahuan yang telah
dikuasai oleh mahasiswa. Menurut Suryabrata (2006:
55
Pengaruh Komunikasi Interpersonal antara Dosen dan Mahasiswa Terhadap…(Fauzi Abubakar)

297), prestasi akademik adalah seluruh hasil yang METODOLOGI PENELITIAN

telah dicapai (achievement), yang diperoleh melalui
Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian kuantitatif
proses belajar akademik (academic achievement).
dengan metode analisa korelasional, yaitu analisa
Maka prestasi akademik merupakan hasil dari
yang bertujuan untuk mencari keterkaitan atau
kegiatan belajar untuk mengetahui sejauhmana
hubungan antara variabel-variabel dalam penelitian ini
mahasiswa menguasai bahan pelajaran yang diajarkan
(Rakhmat, 2005: 31). Penelitian ini merupakan
dosen serta mengungkapkan keberhasilan yang
penelitian lapangan yang dilakukan untuk mengetahui
dicapai oleh mahasiswa tersebut. Nilai-nilai prestasi
pengaruh variabel X (komunikasi interpersonal
akademik yang tercantum dalam laporan dapat
dosen) terhadap variabel Y1 (motivasi belajar) dan
memberikan gambaran terhadap kemampuan
variabel Y2 (prestasi akademik) mahasiswa Ilmu
mahasiswa yang bersifat kognitif, afektif maupun
Keperawatan STIKes Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe.
psikomotorik. Hasil belajar mahasiswa (indeks
Pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini dilakukan
prestasi) merupakan rumusan terakhir yang diberikan
dengan cara menggunakan kuisioner (angket) model
dosen mengenai kemajuan atau hasil belajar.
skala likert dalam bentuk ceklis, yang disebarkan
Bagaimana komunikasi interpersonal dosen dapat
kepada 83 responden. Bentuk instrumen berupa
mempengaruhi motivasi belajar sehingga pada
angket/kuesioner yang dirancang terdiri dari nomor
akhirnya dapat pula mempengaruhi prestasi akademik
butir, pernyataan dan alternatif jawaban meliputi
mahasiswa menimbulkan ketertarikan penulis untuk
empat pilihan, yaitu: sangat sesuai (SS) yang diberi
meneliti hal tersebut.
skor = 4, sesuai (S) diberi skor = 3, kurang sesuai
Berdasarkan latar belakang tersebut, penulis
(KS) diberi skor = 2 dan tidak sesuai (TS) diberi skor
tertarik untuk meneliti apakah ada pengaruh
= 1.
komunikasi interpersonal dosen terhadap motivasi
Keandalan alat ukur dalam penelitian ini telah
belajar dan prestasi akademik mahasiswa Ilmu
diujicobakan kepada 20 responden di luar sampel
Keperawatan di STIKes Muhammadiyah
tetapi masih dalam lingkungan populasi penelitian.
Lhokseumawe, dengan rumusan masalahnya adalah:
Karena instrumen penelitian memegang peranan
Apakah ada pengaruh komunikasi interpersonal
penting dalam penentuan kualitas penelitian. Ujicoba
antara dosen dan mahasiswa terhadap motivasi belajar
instrumen penelitian dilakukan untuk mendapatkan
mahasiswa Ilmu Keperawatan di STIKes
instrumen penelitian yang memadai, yaitu valid dan
Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe? Apakah ada
reliable sehingga kesimpulan yang dihasilkan pada
pengaruh komunikasi interpersonal antara dosen dan
penelitian ini benar adanya dan menggambarkan
mahsiswa terhadap prestasi akademik mahasiswa Ilmu
keadaan yang sebenarnya ditemukan di lapangan.
Keperawatan di STIKes Muhammadiyah
Instrumen penelitian dinyatakan valid jika pertanyaan
Lhokseumawe? Apakah ada pengaruh yang
tersebut dapat mengungkapkan sesuatu yang akan
signifikan dan positif komunikasi interpersonal dosen
diukur. Sementara instrumen dinyatakan reliabel jika
terhadap motivasi belajar dan prestasi akademik
jawaban responden terhadap pertanyaan andalah
mahasiswa Ilmu Keperawatan STIKes
konsisten atau stabil dari waktu ke waktu, sehingga
Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe?
bila instrumen penelitian tidak valid maupun reliabel,
Sesuai dengan rumusan masalah, maka tujuan
maka tidak akan diperoleh hasil penelitian yang baik.
penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh
Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh
komunikasi interpersonal antara dosen dan
mahasiswa Ilmu Keperawatan Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu
mahasiswa terhadap motivasi belajar mahasiswa Ilmu
Kesehatan Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe tingkat II,
Keperawatan STIKes Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe,
III, dan IV yang aktif belajar berjumlah 472 orang.
mengetahui pengaruh komunikasi interpersonal
Sedangkan teknik pengambilan sampel dalam
anatara dosen dan mahasiswa terhadap prestasi
penelitian ini, bersifat probabilitas atau secara acak
akademik mahasiswa Ilmu Keperawatan STIKes
yang memberikan peluang atau kesempatan yang
Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe, dan mengetahui
sama kepada semua anggota populasi untuk terpilih
pengaruh komunikasi interpersonal dosen terhadap
sebagai sampel penelitian (Kholil, 2006: 71). Jenis
motivasi belajar dan prestasi akademik Ilmu
sampel probabilitas yang digunakan, yaitu sampel
Keperawatan STIKes Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe.
random sederhana (simple random). Kemudian untuk
56

menentukan jumlah sampel pada penelitian ini
dihitung dengan menggunakan rumus Taro Yamane
(Ridwan & Engkos, 2008: 49), sebagai berikut:
n = Jumlah sampel yang dicari
N = Jumlah Populasi
d = Jumlah presisi 10% (0,10)
Berdasarkan rumus tersebut diperoleh jumlah
sampel sebagai berikut:
maka jumlah sampel yang diteliti adalah 83 orang.
Terlebih dahulu dilakukan uji linearitas ntuk
keperluan uji hipotesis, yang dimaksudkan untuk
melihat data variabel yang memiliki kelinearan.
Teknik yang digunakan adalah uji keofisien regresi
parsial yang dilakukan untuk mengetahui pengaruh
dari masing-masing variabel bebas (independent
variable), yaitu komunikasi interpersonal dosen (X)
terhadap variabel terikat (dependent variable), yaitu
motivasi belajar (Y1) dan prestasi akademik (Y2).
Kaedah pengambilan keputusan untuk mengetahui
apakah hipotesis nol (Ho) ditolak dan hipotesis kerja
(Ha) diterima atau sebaliknya dengan membandingkan
nilai t. Bilamana nilai t-hitung > t-tabel maka
hipotesis nol (Ho) ditolak dan hipotesis kerja (Ha)
diterima. Sebaliknya jika nilai t-hitung < t-tabel, maka
hipotesis nol (Ho) diterima dan hipotesis kerja (Ha)
ditolak.
Data dalam penelitian ini dianalisis dengan dua
cara, yaitu teknik statistik deskriptif dan inferensial.
Statistik deskriptif digunakan untuk menganalisis data
dengan cara mendskripsikan data yang telah
terkumpul sebagaimana adanya tanpa bermaksud
untuk membuat kesimpulan yang berlaku umum atau
generalisasi. Analisis ini untuk mencari harga rata-
rata, simpangan baku (standard deviasi), distribusi
frekuensi, median, dan modus dari variabel
komunikasi interpersonal (X), motivasi belajar (Y1)
dan prestasi akademik (Y2). Untuk menyusun daftar
distribusi frekuansi dengan panjang kelas yang sama
Jurnal Pekommas, Vol. 18 No. 1, April 2015: 53 - 62
dilakukan dengan cara sturges. Statistik inferensial
digunakan untuk menganalisis data sampel yang
dilakukan secara random dan hasilnya diberlakukan
untuk populasi. Data dianalisis dengan menggunakan
korelasi product moment yang bersumber dari Pearson
(Pearson Corelation), yaitu dengan cara mengkorelasi
skor tiap item dengan skor totalnya, disamping itu
juga disesuaikan dengan tuntutan korelasi, yaitu
teknik pengambilan sampel yang bersifat kelompok
dan random sederhana dan data bersifat interval.
HASIL DAN PEMBAHASAN
Hasil penelitian yang dilakukan dapat diketahui
deskripsi variabel komunikasi interpersonal dosen
(X), variabel motivasi belajar (Y1) dan variabel
prestasi akademik (Y2), dengan uraian sebagai
berikut.
Variabel Komunikasi Interpersonal Dosen (X)
Komunikasi interpersonal antara dosen dan
mahasiswa dalam penelitian ini dianalisis berdasarkan
pendapat responden yang berhubungan dengan
komunikasi interpersonal meliputi keterbukaan,
empati, dukungan, sikap positif, dan kesetaraan.
Pengumpulan data variabel komunikasi interpersonal
(X) dikakukan melalui penyebaran kuesioner
sebanyak 10 item pertanyaan kepada 83 responden
penelitian. Untuk melihat distribusi total skor dari
pertanyaan untuk variabel (X), dijelaskan dalam tabel
1.
Tabel 1 Tabel Distribusi Frekuensi Data Varibel
Komunikasi Interpersonal (X)
Komunikasi Interpersonal Antara Dosen dan Mahasiswa
N Valid 83
Missing 0
Mean 32,3855
Median 32,0000
Mode 30,00
Std. Deviation 3,68858
Variance 13,606
Minimum 24,00
Maximum 40,00
Tabel 1 menunjukkan bahwa pernyataan untuk
variabel komunikasi interpersonal (X) menyebar
antara skor terendah 24 sampai skor tertinggi 40.
Perhitungan distribusi skor tersebut menghasilkan
nilai rata-rata (mean) yaitu 32,38, nilai tengah
(median) yaitu 32 dan nilai yang sering muncul
(modus) adalah 30. Dari data tersebut menunjukkan
rata-rata hitung, median dan modus tidak jauh
57
Pengaruh Komunikasi Interpersonal antara Dosen dan Mahasiswa Terhadap…(Fauzi Abubakar)
berbeda. Hal ini menggambarkan bahwa distribusi
frekuensi variabel komunikasi interpersonal (X),
sebaran datanya cenderung berdistribusi normal. Dan
berdasarkan distribusi frekuensi variabel komunikasi
interpersonal antara dosen dan mahasiswa tersebut,
dapat diketahui tanggapan responden terhadap
komunikasi interpersonal dengan indikator
keterbukaan, empati, dukungan, sikap positif dan
kesetaraan. Hasil tanggapan responden sebagai
berikut: sebanyak 32,8% responden sesuai dengan
keterbukaan dalam komunikasi, 21% responden sesuai
dengan empati, 41% responden sesuai dengan
dukungan, 36,75% responden sesuai dengan sikap
positif, dan 43,4% responden sesuai dengan
kesetaraan dalam komunikasi.
Variabel Motivasi Belajar (Y1)
Pengumpulan data variabel motivasi belajar (Y1)
dilakukan melalui penyebaran kuesioner sebanyak 10
item pertanyaan kepada 83 responden penelititan.
Penjelasan distribusi skor variabel motivasi belajar
(Y1) dalam tabel 2.
Tabel 2 Tabel Distribusi Frekuensi Data Varibel Motivasi
Belajar (Y1)
Motivasi Belajar
N Valid 84
Missing 0 Selanjutnya dilakukan pengujian hipotesis,
Mean 33,8810
Median 34,0000
Mode 34,00
Std. Deviation 3,52070
Variance 12,395
Minimum 27,00
Maximum 50,00
Berdasarkan sebaran data yang diperoleh dari 10
item pertanyaan untuk 83 responden sebagaimana
penjelasan dari tabel diatas, maka distribusi total skor
dari pernyataan untuk motivasi belajar menyebar
antara skor terendah 27 sampai skor tertinggi 50.
Perhitungan distribusi skor tersebut menghasilkan
nilai rata-rata (mean) yaitu 33,88, nilai tengah
(median) yaitu 34,00 dan nilai yang sering muncul
(modus) adalah 34,00. Dari data tersebut
menunjukkan rata-rata hitung, median dan modus
tidak jauh berbeda. Hal ini menggambarkan bahwa
distribusi frekuensi variabel motivasi belajar (Y1),
sebaran datanya cenderung berdistribusi normal.
Variabel Prestasi Akademik (Y2)
Pengumpulan data variabel prestasi akademik (Y2)
dilakukan melalui penyebaran kuesioner sebanyak 9
58
item pertanyaan kepada 83 responden penelititan.
Penjelasan distribusi skor variabel prestasi akademik
(Y2) dalam tabel 3.
Tabel 3 Tabel Distribusi Frekuensi Data Varibel Prestasi
Akademik (Y2)
Prestasi Akademik
N Valid 83
Missing 0
Mean 29,5904
Median 30,0000
Mode 28,00a
Std. Deviation 2,52807
Variance 6,391
Minimum 24,00
Maximum 37,00
Berdasarkan sebaran data yang diperoleh dari 9
item pernyataan untuk 83 responden, maka distribusi
total skor dari pernyataan untuk prestasi akademik
mahasiswa menyebar antara skor terendah 24 sampai
skor tertinggi 37. Perhitungan distribusi skor tersebut
menghasilkan nilai rata-rata (mean) yaitu 29,59,
sedangkan nilai tengah (median) yaitu 30,00 dan nilai
yang sering muncul (modus) adalah 28,00. Dari data
tersebut menunjukkan rata-rata hitung, median dan
modus tidak jauh berbeda. Hal ini menggambarkan
bahwa distribusi frekuensi variabel motivasi belajar
(Y1), sebaran datanya cenderung berdistribusi normal.
dilakukan untuk mengetahui hubungan diantara
variabel komunikasi interpersonal dengan indikator:
keterbukaan, empati, dukungan, sikap positif dan
kesetaraan (X), variabel motivasi belajar (Y1) dan
prestasi akademik (Y2). Adapun hipotesis dari
penelitian ini adalah:
1. Ho (Hipotesis Nol) = tidak ada pengaruh
komunikasi interpersonal dosen terhadap motivasi
belajar dan prestasi akademik mahasiswa
2. Ha (Hipotesis Alternatif) = Ada pengaruh
komunikasi interpersonal dosen terhadap motivasi
belajar dan prestasi akademik mahasiswa.
Hipotesis penelitian tentang pengaruh komunikasi
interpersonal (X) terhadap motivasi belajar (Y1) dan
prestasi akademik (Y2) dilakukan dengan uji-t. Dari
hasil uji-t diperoleh nilai t hitung variabel X sebesar
5,119 dengan nilai sig.p = 0,000. Sedangkan nilai t
tabel sebesar 1,67 (dari daftar t tabel untuk N = 100
dan sig-a =0,05). Karena t hitung 5,119 > 1,67 dan
sig.p 0,000 < 0,05, maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa
hipotesis nol (Ho) yang menyatakan bahwa tidak ada
pengaruh komunikasi interpersonal terhadap motivasi
 Jurnal Pekommas, Vol. 18 No. 1, April 2015: 53 - 62

belajar dan prestasi akademik ditolak, dan hipotesis nol (Ho) yang menyatakan bahwa tidak ada pengaruh
alternatif (Ha) yang menyatakan ada pengaruh komunikasi interpersonal dosen terhadap motivasi
komunikasi interpersonal terhadap motivasi belajar belajar dan prestasi akademik mahasiswa ditolak. Dan
dan prestasi akademik diterima. Dengan demikian hipotesis alternatif (Ha) yang menyatakan bahwa ada
komunikasi interpersonal antara dosen dan mahasiswa pengaruh yang positif komunikasi interpersonal dosen
berpengaruh terhadap motivasi belajar dan prestasi terhadap motivasi belajar dan prestasi akademik
akademik mahasiswa. Hal ini berarti semakin tinggi mahasiswa diterima.
komunikasi interpersonal yang meliputi keterbukaan, Kemudian dilakukan koefisien determinasi, yaitu
empati, dukungan, sikap positif dan kesetaraan antara kuadrat dari koefisien korelasi antara variabel bebas
dosen dan mahasiswa, maka semakin tinggi motivasi dengan variabel terikat dilakukan dengan
belajar dan prestasi akademik mahasiswa. Sebaliknya menggunakan teknik regresi berganda (multiple
semakin rendah komunikasi interpersonal, semakin regression), dengan hasil sebagai berikut:
rendah motivasi belajar dan prestasi akademik Tabel 5 Model Summary: Regresi Komunikasi
mahasiswa. Interpersonal Dosen dengan Motivasi Belajar
Hasil pengujian hipotesis ini bila dikonversikan Std.
dengan pengujian korelasi juga menunjukkan adanya R Adjusted Error of
Model R
Square R Square the
hubungan diantara variabel-variabel. Hal ini terlihat Estimate
pada tabel 4. 1 ,494a ,244 ,235 3,05772
Tabel 4 Hasil Uji Korelasi a. Predictors: (Constant), Komunikasi Interpersonal
Komunikasi b. Dependent Variable: Prestasi akademik
Motivasi Prestasi
Interper
Belajar Akademik Tabel 5 menunjukkan bahwa koefisiensi
sonal
Komuni Pearson 1 ,494** ,323** determinasi (R Square) adalah 0,104 yang berarti
kasi Correlat 1,04% prestasi akademik mahasiswa dipengaruhi oleh
Interperso ion
komunikasi interpersonal dosen, sedangkan sisanya
nal Sig. (2- ,000 ,003
tailed) dipengaruhi oleh faktor-faktor lain diluar variabel
N 83 83 83 yang diteliti. Sedangkan Std. Error of the Estimate
Motivasi Pearson ,494** 1 ,187 adalah 2,41 (Dependent Variable: Prestasi Akademi)
Blelajar Correlat dengan standar deviasi pada tabel 2 adalah 2,53. Oleh
ion
Sig. (2- ,000 ,090 karena Error of the Estimate prestasi akademik lebih
tailed) kecil dari standar deviasinya, maka model regresi ini
N 83 84 83 dapat dipakai untuk memprediksi prestasi belajar.
Prestasi Pearson ,323** ,187 1 Hasil penelitian tersebut menunjukkan komunikasi
Akademik Correlat
ion interpersonal antara dosen dan mahasiswa yang
Sig. (2- ,003 ,090 meliputi keterbukaan, empati, dukungan, sikap positif
tailed) dan kesetaraan berpengaruh terhadap motivasi belajar
N 83 83 83 dan prestasi akademik mahasiswa, sebagaimana
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
penjelasan teori pengungkapan diri (Self Disclosure
Tabel 4 terlihat hasil uji korelasi variabel Theory) yang dikemukakan oleh Sydney Marshall
komunikasi interpersonal dengan motivasi belajar Jourad. Pengungkapan diri (self disclosure)
diperoleh r hitung sebesar 0,494, sedangkan besarnya merupakan sebuah proses mengungkapkan informasi
r tabel pada taraf signifikansi 5% yaitu sebesar 0,183 tentang diri sendiri kepada orang lain. Dalam
(r tabel pada buku statistik). Sedangkan uji korelasi melakukan interaksi antara individu dengan orang
variabel komunikasi interpersonal terhadap prestasi lain, apakah orang lain akan menerima atau menolak
akademik mahasiswa diperoleh r hitung sebesar 0,323. dan bagaimana seseorang ingin orang lain mengetahui
Oleh karena r hitung lebih besar dari r tabel, yaitu tentang dirinya, semua itu ditentukan oleh bagaimana
0,494 > 0,183 dan 0,323 > 0,183, maka dapat individu dalam mengungkapkan dirinya. Karena
dinyatakan bahwa diantara variabel-variabel tersebut keterbukaan merupakan salah satu ciri komunikasi
berhubungan signifikan (korelasi). Dari hasil interpersonal yang efektif. Komunikasi berlangsung
penelitian tersebut dapat disimpulkan bahwa hipotesis untuk mencapai kesepahaman. Persamaan
59
Pengaruh Komunikasi Interpersonal antara Dosen dan Mahasiswa Terhadap…(Fauzi Abubakar)
kesepahaman disebabkan adanya ikatan persahabatan,
percintaan, dan hubungan dalam keluarga. Terpenting
dalam komunikasi interpersonal bagaimana
sepatutnya berkomunikasi dengan baik supaya proses
pembentukan hubungan dalam mencapai tujuan dapat
berjalan dengan baik dan memenuhi keperluan semua
pihak. Komunikasi interpersonal melibatkan paling
sedikit dua orang yang mempunyai sifat, nilai-nilai,
pendapat, sikap, pikiran dan perilaku yang khas dan
berbeda-beda. Komunikasi interpersonal menuntut
adanya tindakan saling memberi dan menerima
diantara pelaku yang terlibat dalam komunikasi
(Achroza, 2013).
Komunikasi adalah kunci keberhasilan berintegrasi
dalam proses belajar mengajar. Apabila komunikasi
interpersonal berjalan dengan efektif, maka arus
informasi dalam proses pembelajaran akan berjalan
dengan lancar sehingga mahasiswa termotivasi untuk
mengikuti proses belajar mengajar. Menurut sifatnya
komunikasi interpersonal disebut juga komunikasi
diadik, yaitu proses komunikasi yang berlangsung
antara dua orang dalam situasi tatap muka.
Komunikasi diadik dapat dilakukan dalam tiga
bemtuk, yaitu percakapan, dialog dan wawancara
(Cangara, 2014: 36). Untuk dapat meningkatkan
motivasi belajar mahasiswa, maka dosen harus
memelihara komunikasi interpersonal yang efektif.
Komunikasi interpersonal dapat dilihat dari dua
perspektif, yaitu perspektif paragmatis dan perspektif
humanistik. Perspektif humanistik meliputi
keterbukaan, empati, dukungan, sikap positif dan
kesetaraan (Devito, 2011: 260). Dosen harus bersikat
terbuka, empati memberikan dukungan, bersikap
positif dan kesetaraan kepada mahasiswa, sehingga
mahasiswa memiliki motivasi yang tinggi dalam
belajar (Wahyudi, 2011). Dalam proses belajar
mengajar, komunikasi interpersonal dilakukan untuk
meningkatkan pengetahuan peserta didik. Pada
hakikatnya proses belajar mengajar adalah proses
komunikasi, yaitu proses penyampaian pesan dari
sumber pesan yaitu pendidik melalui saluran tertentu
ke penerima pesan yaitu anak didik. Peranan pendidik
senantiasa menggambarkan pola tingkah laku yang
diharapkan dalam berbagai interaksi dengan anak
didik (Pontoh, 2013).
Komunikasi dapat disebut efektif, bila komunikan
menginterpretasikan pesan yang diterima mempunyai
makna yang sama dengan maksud pesan yang
disampaikan oleh komunikator. Komunikasi
60
interpersonal yang efektif dapat menunjukkan ada
pemahaman yang sama atas pesan yang disampaikan
pada saat komunikasi berlangsung antara komunikator
dan komunikan. Perlu diketahui bahwa untuk melihat
efektif tidaknya komunikasi interpersonal yang
berlangsung, dapat dilihat dari umpan balik antara
pemberi dan penerima pesan. Umpan balik dapat
berupa pernyataan, sikap dan tindakan. Terpenting
dalam komunikasi interpersonal adalah bagaimana
sepatutnya berkomunikasi dengan baik supaya proses
pembentukan hubungan dalam mencapai tujuan dapat
berjalan dengan baik dan memenuhi keperluan sermua
pihak. (Sodah Wok, 2004:32). Disamping itu
komunikasi interpersonal juga dipengaruhi oleh
faktor-faktor, yaitu: citra diri (self image) karena citra
diri menentukan ekspresi dan persepsi orang. Kedua,
citra pihak lain (the image of the others). Ketiga,
lingkungan fisik mempunyai kaitan dengan faktor
citra diri dan citra pihak lain. Keempat, lingkungan
sosial mempengaruhi tingkah laku dan komunikasi.
Kelima, kondisi fisik maupun emosional, dan keenam,
bahasa tubuh karena komunikasi tidak hanya dikirim
atau terkirim melalui kata-kata yang diucapkan.
(Lunandi, 1994:85).
Hubungan dosen dan mahasiswa dalam proses
belajar mengajar merupakan faktor yang sangat
penting dalam menciptakan suasana belajar yang
menyenangkan, sehingga mahasiswa termotivasi.
Motivasi belajar mahasiswa akan terlihat pada
perilakunya antara lain dijabarkan bagaimana
keaktifannya dalam belajar untuk mencapai prestasi,
dalam menyelesaikan tugas, pemanfaatan waktu serta
bagaimana bersikap untuk mengatasi hambatan
belajar. Pesan-pesan pengajaran yang disampaikan
oleh dosen hendaknya diterima dengan baik oleh
mahasiswa. Mahasiswa akan mempunyai motivasi
untuk mengikuti materi kuliah dengan baik, apabila
dosen bersikap terbuka, menunjukkan empati terhadap
persoalan yang dihadapai mahasiswa. Disamping itu
dosen juga memberikan dukungan terhadap tugas-
tugas perkuliahan yang dibebankan kepada mahasiswa
tanpa membedakan antara mahasiswa yang satu
dengan mahasiswa yang lain. Hal ini ini menyebabkan
dosen dalam menyampaikan materi kuliah dilakukan
dengan menyenangkan, jelas dan terarah serta
mahasiswa dapat menerima pesan-pesan tersebut
dengan baik pula. Dalam rangka mengupayakan agar
motivasi belajar mahasiswa tinggi, seorang dosen
hendaknya selalu mengoptimalisasikan penerapan

prinsip belajar. Dosen pada prinsipnya harus
memandang bahwa dengan kehadiran mahasiswa di
ruang kuliah merupakan suatu motivasi belajar yang
datangnya dari mahasiswa. Sehingga dengan adanya
prinsip seperti itu, dosen akan menganggap
mahasiswa sebagai seorang yang harus dihormati dan
dihargai. Dengan perlakuan seperti ini, mahasiswa
tentunya akan memberi makna terhadap pelajaran
yang sedang dihadapainya. Penggunaan azas motivasi
merupakan sesuatu yang sangat essensial dalam
proses belajar dan pembelajaran. Motivasi menjadi
salah satu faktor yang turut menentukan pembelajaran
yang efektif. Karena peserta didik yang bermotivasi
tinggi dalam belajar memungkinkan akan memperoleh
hasil belajar yang tinggi pula. Artinya semakin tinggi
motivasinya, semakin intensitas usaha dan upaya yang
dilakukan, maka semakin tinggi prestasi belajar yang
diperolehnya (Ghulam & Lisa, 2011).
Faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap
keberhasilan belajar akan menentukan tinggi
rendahnya prestasi akademik mahasiswa. Faktor yang
mempengaruhi prestasi akademik mahasiswa adalah
faktor internal dan faktor eksternal. Faktor internal
meliputi aspek fisiologi (yang bersifat jasmaniah) dan
aspek psikologi (yang bersifat rohaniah), seperti:
kemampuan intelektual, minat, bakat, sikap, kondisi
fisik dan mental, kemandirian, harga diri akademik
dan motivasi belajar. Sedangkan faktor eksternal
terdiri dari lingkungan dan pertemanan, seperti:
lingkungan kampus, keluarga dan masyarakat. Dalam
proses belajar mengajar di perguruan tinggi, hubungan
antara dosen dengan mahasiswa dalam berkomunikasi
sangat perlu. Apabila hubungan antara dosen dengan
mahasiswa tidak harmonis, dapat menciptakan
komunikasi yang tidak baik. Komunikasi
interpersonal antara dosen dan mahasiswa dapat
terlatih dengan seringnya mahasiswa mengikuti
perkuliahan. Mahasiswa yang sering mengikuti
perkuliahan akan mempunyai banyak pengetahuan
dan membuat dirinya lebih banyak mengetahui sifat
dan karakteristik dosen dan dengan pengalamannya
itu mahasiswa menjadi lebih baik dalam menjalankan
tugasnya. Semakin tinggi komunikasi interpersonal
antara mahasiswa dan dosen semakin tinggi prestasi
belajar mahasiswa, sebaliknya semakin rendah
komunikasi interpersonal antara mahasiswa dan dosen
semakin rendah prestasi belajar mahasiswa. Dosen
dapat mengembalikan kondisi belajar yang optimal
dengan cara berdialog dengan mahasiswa diluar kelas.
Jurnal Pekommas, Vol. 18 No. 1, April 2015: 53 - 62
Karena komunikasi turut menentukan untuk membuat
mahasiswa mendapatkan pengetahuan dan
pengetahuan pada mahasiswa dapat dicerminkan oleh
prestasi akademik dengan nilai indeks prestasi yang
didapat.
Kemudian secara teori, motivasi belajar akan
mempengaruhi tingkat prestasi akademik mahasiswa
karena dengan adanya motivasi belajar maka
intensitas belajar mahasiswa akan semakin meningkat
dan secara otomatis akan mempengaruhi tingkat
prestasi akademik mahasiswa. Selain itu faktor yang
tidak kalah penting dalam menentukan prestasi
akademik mahasiswa, yaitu: keterampilan dosen
dalam mengajar dan semamgat dosen dalam
mengajar. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa komunikasi
interpersonal dosen yang efektif menyebabkan dosen
dan mahasiswa merasa senang, sehingga mendorong
tumbuhnya sikap saling terbuka dam kesenangan.
Komunikasi interpersonal yang berjalan tidak efektif,
maka menyebabkan pelaku komunikasi
mengembangkan sikap ketidaksenangan dan menutup
diri. Sikap menutup diri dapat memicu individu untuk
menarik dari dari lingkungan pergaulan (withdrawl)
dan menyebabkan ketegangan pada individu.
Komunikasi ini dapat berlangsung secara dialogis.
Salah satu keuntungan komunikasi dialogis adalah
adanya kesempatan bagi mahasiswa untuk bersikap
responsif dalam mengetengahkan pendapat atau
pertanyaan pada dosen tersebut. Adanya kesempatan
dalam memberi umpan balik secara langsung dalam
komunikasi dialogis dapat mengurangi adanya
kesalahan dalam interpretasi pesan, dan apabila terjadi
kesalahan dalam interpretasi pesan dapat segera
diketahui atau dibenahi saat itu juga, sehingga tercipta
kondisi kesamaan dalam interpretasi antara
mahasiswa-dosen. Kondisi adanya kesamaan dalam
interpretasi antara mahasiswa-dosen menunjukkan
adanya komunikasi yang efektif. Hubungan
interpersonal antara dosen dan mahasiswa merupakan
salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi prestasi
akademik amahasiswa. untuk belajar. Disamping
faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi motivasi belajar
mahasiswa juga menentukan tinggi rendahnya prestasi
akademik mahasiswa.
KESIMPULAN
Hasil penelitian ini mengungkapkan bahwa
motivasi mahasiswa Ilmu Keperawatan STIKes
Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe dalam mengikuti
61
Pengaruh Komunikasi Interpersonal antara Dosen dan Mahasiswa Terhadap…(Fauzi Abubakar)
proses pembelajaran sudah meningkat, terbukti dari
keaktifan mahasiswa dalam diskusi kelas dan
ketepatan mahasiswa dalam menyelesaikan tugas-
tugas yang diberikan dosen. Disamping itu prestasi
akademik mahasiswa juga sudah meningkat selaras
dengan meningkatnya motivasi belajar. Sehingga
mahasiswa banyak yang mendapat nilai rata-rata A
dengan indeks prestasi 3,5 keatas tiap semester serta
mendapatkan beasiswa. Terlihat poengujian hipotesis
dan koefisiensi korelasi antara komunikasi
interpersonal dosen terhadap motivasi belajar dan
prestasi akademik mahasiswa. Hal ini menunjukkan
bahwa komunikasi interpersonal dosen turut andil
dalam meningkatkan motivasi belajar dan prestasi
akademik mahasiswa selain faktor-faktor lainnya.
Beberapa saran dan rekomendasi kami sampaikan
dalam rangka meningkatkan motivasi belajar dan
prestasi akademik mahasiswa, sebagai berikut:
Pertama, para dosen perlu meningkatkan kemampuan
berkomunikasi interpersonal yang efektif dengan
mahasiswa, sehingga dosen dapat menyampaikan
materi kuliah dengan menyenangkan, jelas dan terarah
serta mahasiswa dapat menerima pesan-pesan tersebut
dengan baik pula. Kedua, kiranya penelitian ini dapat
digunakan sebagai bahan rujukan dan pembanding
bagi peneliti selanjutnya terutama berkenaan dengan
komunikasi interpersonal.
UCAPAN TERIMA KASIH
Ucapan terima kasih penulis sampaikan kepada
bapak Ibrahim, SKM. M. Kes, selaku Ketua STIKes
Muhammadiyah Lhokseumawe yang telah
memberikan kemudahan dan dukungan kepada
penulis dalam memperoleh data dan melakukan
penelitian. Selanjutnya kepada para responden yang
telah menyajikan informasi yang dibutuhkan dalam
penelitian ini. Serta semua pihak yang telah
membantu penulis dalam menyelesaikan penelitian
ini.
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