Enhancing Academic
Resiliency
Presented at the 26th Annual Conference
on the First-Year Experience
Addison, Texas
February 19, 2007
Latty Goodwin, Ph.D.
Director, First-Year Enrichment Program
Rochester Institute of Technology
50 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
[email protected]
585-475-6683
SESSION OVERVIEW
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Definition
What does academic resiliency look like?
What do we know about it?
Cycle of Resiliency
Further Readings/Reference
Discussion/Application
DEFINITION
Resilient students are:
“students who succeed in school despite
the presence of adverse conditions.”
Waxman, H. C., Gray, J.P., & Padron, Y. N. (2003). Review of Research on
Educational Resilience (p.1). CA: Center for Research on Education,
Diversity & Excellence.
What does academic resiliency
look like?
[STUDENT] CHARACTERISTICS
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Adaptable temperament; flexible; tolerates ambiguity
Optimistic
Anticipates problems; solves problems logically
Creative solutions to challenges
Positive self-esteem
Sees humor in self and life situations
Curious; learns from experience
“Reads” people well
Durable and independent
Internal locus of control
Achievement-oriented attitude
THREE DOMAINS
students
1) “hold it”
2) “fold it”
Academic Resilience
3) “walk away/run”
instructors
institution
What do we know?
RESEARCH
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Focus has been on personal and pre-college
resiliency
H. Waxman, J. Gray, and Y. Padron –
comprehensive educational summary
B. Benard – strategic focus
J. McMillan & D. Reed – academic success
factors
My research: HEOP 1st-year population
& FYE population
CYCLE OF RESILIENCY
5. RESILIENCY
1. ADVERSITY
2. CLIMATE
4. RESPONSE
3.
AWARENESS
1. ADVERSITY
 Necessary
for a resilient response
 Universities = ample opportunity!
 External
 Internal
 Perception = situational
2. CLIMATE
Three Protective Factors 
Best Practice
A) Provide Connection
B) Build Competence
C) Create Opportunities for
Participation and Contribution
2. CLIMATE
A ) PROVIDE CONNECTION
*Teaching & mentoringcaring relationship (FYE!)
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Support
Respect
Compassion
Model resiliency
Listen
Validate
Refrain from judging
2. CLIMATE
B) BUILD COMPETENCE
*Stress high expectations and achievement (FYE!)
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Believe in student’s innate capacities
Challenge with support
Structure for growth and risk
Focus on strengths
Teach to student’s innate resiliency
Student-centered instruction
2. CLIMATE
C) CREATE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR
*Give students power
and responsibility (FYE!)
PARTICIPATION
&
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Interactive group process
CONTRIBUTION
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Reflection, dialogue, critical thinking
Express opinions
Make choices
Problem solve
Immediate & frequent feedback
Opportunities to give back
3. AWARENESS
 Students
identify source & severity of
adversity
 Accept the need for change
 Ability to penetrate the adversity 
determines strength & appropriateness
of response
4. RESPONSE
 Decide
how to cope
 “Response ability” (Reivich & Shatte’)
 CORE skills: control, ownership, reach,
endurance (Stoltz)
 “Resilient reintegration” or “innate selfrighting mechanism” (Richardson)
 “Healthy” response leads to 
5. RESILIENCY
 More
cycles = stronger & more automatic
response
 Situational resiliency
 Sustaining resiliency
 Resiliency confidence enhances selfimage & identity
SELECTED REFERENCES
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Benard, B. (1998). “How to Be a Turnaround Teacher/Mentor”
http://www.resiliency.com/htm/turnaround.htm
Benard, B. “From Risk to Resiliency: What Schools Can Do”
http://www.tanglewood.net/projects/teachertraining/Book_of_Readings/Benard.pdf
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McMillan, J., & Reed, D. (1994). “At-risk students and resiliency:
Factors contributing to academic success.” Clearing House, 67 (3),
137-141.
Reivich, K., & Shatte’, A. (2002). The resilience factor: 7 essential
skills for overcoming life’s inevitable obstacles. NY: Broadway Books.
Richardson, G.E. (2002, March). The metatheory of resilience and
resiliency. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58 (3), 307-321.
Stoltz, P. G. (1999). Adversity quotient: Turning Obstacles into
Opportunity. NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Waxman, H. C., Gray, J.P., & Padron, Y. N. (2003). Review of
Research on Educational Resilience. (Research Report 11). CA:
Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What are the adverse conditions that our
first-year students face?
 As educators, what adverse conditions do we
face when working with first-year students?
 What helps bring out the resiliency in our
students? Where are the openings within
FYE programs to enhance resiliency?
 What brings out our resiliency? How can we
nurture this?
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