From Measuring Resilience to Building Support: Institutional Implications of First-Year Assessment for First-Generation Students

This study reframes assessment as “institutional listening” to challenge deficit-based framings of first-generation (FG) student resilience. Analyzing 7,587 Indonesian students, findings reveal a “resilience paradox”: FG students statistically outperform non-FG peers in stress management (p < .001) but face significant disadvantages in navigational ease (p < .001). Minimal institutional differences (d = .11) highlight shared systemic failures in the Global South. We argue universities must shift from monitoring student deficits to interrogating systemic barriers. Transforming assessments into accountability tools fosters equity-oriented practices prioritizing student success over survival in elitist bureaucratic environments.