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.