ADAPTASI INTERAKSI MAHASISWA ASAL INDONESIA TIMUR DI KOTA MALANG (Studi Kasus Pada Mahasiswa Asal Suku Sumba, Maluku, dan Papua)

This research is driven by the background of communication adaptation challenges faced by nomadic students in Malang City which are culturally and socially diverse. The goal is to understand how students from Eastern Indonesia, especially the Sumba, Maluku, and Papuan tribes, adapt to differences in language, intonation, and ways of communicating. This study also looks at cultural conflicts that often arise among students from the three tribes, thus providing an in-depth understanding of how the process of adaptation of communication between Eastern Indonesian students in Malang City.

This study uses the theory of interaction adaptation and cultural adaptation. The theory of interaction adaptation, developed by Judee Burgoon, identifies three main factors in interaction referred to as RED: Requirement, expectation, and desire. Meanwhile, the theory of cultural adaptation put forward by Kim Young Yun divides the cultural adaptation process into five phases, namely the planning, honeymoon, frustration, readjustment, and resolution phases. The integration of the two theories aims to identify how individuals adapt to communication when migrating in environments that have different cultures.

This study applies a qualitative approach, with the researcher using the case study method to explore and obtain information in more detail and depth.The results show that the process of adaptation of individual communication in a new environment is interrelated with three main factors described by Burgoon, namely needs, hopes, and desires, which are reflected in each of the five phases of cultural adaptation by Kim, namely the planning phase, honeymoon, frustration, readjustment, and resolution. The regional students go through these phases by having their needs starting from mental preparation, and language mastery, then their expectations are acceptance and appreciation, and their desire is to gain new knowledge, patience, and enthusiasm in adapting overseas. Environmental support and an individual's ability to adjust are essential in helping them adapt well.