Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Mahasiswa rantau menghadapi berbagai tipe ketidakpastian ketika memasuki lingkungan perguruan tinggi yang baru akibat adanya perbedaan budaya, norma sosial, bahasa, dan lingkungan sosial. kondisi tersebut mendorong mereka untuk melakukan pencarian informasi sebagai upaya mengurangi ketidakpastian dan mempermudah proses adaptasi di lingkungan baru. penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis ketidakpastian yang dihadapi dan strategi pencarian informasi yang digunakan mahasiswa rantau selama proses adaptasi di universitas syiah kuala. teori pengurangan ketidakpastian menjadi dasar penelitian ini. pendekatan yang digunakan adalah kualitatif deskriptif dengan teknik pengumpulan data berupa wawancara semi terstruktur. informan penelitian berjumlah enam mahasiswa rantau universitas syiah kuala angkatan 2025 yang dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. analisis data yang dilakukan melalui tahapan reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan kesimpulan dan verifikasi. hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa rantau mengalami dua tipe ketidakpastian, yaitu ketidakpastian kognitif dan ketidakpastian perilaku. ketidakpastian kognitif merupakan tipe ketidakpastian yang paling dominan dan berkaitan dengan budaya masyarakat, norma sosial, bahasa dan pola komunikasi, layanan publik, sistem transportasi, dan budaya makanan di banda aceh. sementara itu, ketidakpastian perilaku berkaitan dengan keraguan dalam menentukan cara berpakaian, cara berkomunikasi, penggunaan bentuk sapaan, dan menentukan respons ketika berinteraksi. dalam menghadapi ketidakpastian tersebut, mahasiswa rantau menerapkan strategi pasif melalui pengamatan, strategi aktif melalui media sosial, keluarga, maupun pihak ketiga, dan strategi interaktif melalui komunikasi secara langsung. strategi aktif dan strategi interaktif menjadi strategi yang paling dominan karena mampu memberikan informasi yang akurat dan membantu mahasiswa membangun hubungan interpersonal dan mempercepat proses adaptasi di lingkungan baru. kata kunci: ketidakpastian kognitif, ketidakpastian perilaku, strategi pencarian informasi, mahasiswa rantau, komunikasi interpesonal, adaptasi.

Out-of-town students experience various types of uncertainty when entering a new university environment due to differences in culture, social norms, language, and social surroundings. These conditions encourage them to seek information as a means of reducing uncertainty and facilitating their adaptation to the new environment. This study aims to identify and analyze the uncertainties experienced by out-of-town students and the information-seeking strategies they employ during the adaptation process at Syiah Kuala University. Uncertainty Reduction Theory serves as the theoretical foundation of this study. This research employed a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collected through semi-structured interviews. This study informants consisted of six out-of-town students from Syiah Kuala University class of 2025 selected using purposive sampling techniques. Data analysis was carried out the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions and verification. The findings indicate that out-of-town students experience two types of uncertainty, namely cognitive uncertainty and behavioral uncertainty. Cognitive uncertainty was the most dominant type and was related to local culture, social norms, language and communication patterns, public services, transportation systems, and food culture in Banda Aceh. Meanwhile, behavioral uncertainty was associated with uncertainty in determining appropriate ways of dressing, communicating, using forms of address, and responding appropriately during interactions. To reduce uncertainty, the students employed passive, active, and interactive information-seeking strategies. Passive strategies were carried out through observation, active strategies through social media, family, and third parties, while interactive strategies involved direct communication. Among these, active and interactive strategies were the most frequently used, as they enabled students to obtain more comprehensive information, clarify information that had not yet been understood, and support their adaptation to the new social and academic environment. Keywords: cognitive uncertainty, behavioral uncertainty, information-seeking strategies, out-of-town students, communication interpersonal, adaptation.