HUBUNGAN ADAPTASI LINGKUNGAN DENGAN KECEMASAN BERBICARA DI DEPAN UMUM PADA MAHASISWA

Students, being in a transitional stage toward adulthood, often face the challenge of adjusting to a new academic environment. The ability to adapt effectively plays a critical role in managing psychological stress, including public speaking anxiety. This study aims to investigate the relationship between environmental adaptation and public speaking anxiety among university students. This correlational quantitative study involved 397 active students in Malang City selected through a simple random sampling method. The data were collected using two instruments: an environmental adaptation scale and the Indonesian version of the Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory (SATI). Analysis using Spearman’s correlation test revealed a significant negative relationship between environmental adaptation and public Speaking anxiety (r = -0.899, p < .001). Students who were able to adapt to their environment exhibited lower levels of public speaking anxiety. Conversely, those who were less able to adapt showed higher anxiety levels. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing environmental adaptability in helping students manage anxiety in academic communication contexts such as classroom presentations and group discussions.