THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT: STUDENTS’ SELF-CONFIDENCE IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATION AT THE EMPHATY STAGE OF THE DESIGN THINKING METHOD
Keywords:
self-confidence, English Communication, Emphaty Stage, Design Thinking, Communication ApprehensionAbstract
This study examines the impact of the Empathy stage in the Design Thinking method on students’ self-confidence in English communication, particularly during real-life interactions with foreign tourists in the Thematic Community Service Program (KKN Tematik) in Tana Toraja. Employing a Convergent Parallel Mixed-Methods Design, the research involved students from the English Education Departments of Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar and UKI Toraja. Quantitative data were gathered using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), while qualitative insights were obtained through semi-structured interviews. The results reveal a significant inverse relationship between students’ self-confidence and communication apprehension. Furthermore, participants reported that the empathy-based activities, such as observing and interviewing foreign tourists, contributed meaningfully to their confidence development, vocabulary growth, and reduction of anxiety during English conversations. These findings suggest that the Empathy stage of Design Thinking offers a valuable experiential learning framework that enhances students' linguistic competence and psychological readiness for authentic communication. The study underscores the importance of integrating context-based and interactive strategies into English language teaching at the university level.
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