Unequal Capacity, Unequal Outcomes: A Strategic Analysis of Academic Ability Test Implementation Using an Integrated RBV–PESTEL–SWOT Framework

Abstract

The implementation of standardized educational assessments may produce unequal outcomes across schools with different institutional capacities. This study examines the implementation of Indonesia’s Academic Ability Test (TKA) by integrating the Resource-Based View (RBV), PESTEL, and SWOT frameworks to explain variations in school-level policy enactment. A qualitative multiple-case study approach was employed to examine high-performing, moderately performing, and developing senior high schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis. Thematic and cross-case analyses were conducted using RBV to assess internal institutional capacity, PESTEL to examine external environmental conditions, and SWOT to synthesize strategic responses. The analysis identified three differentiated implementation patterns. High-performing schools demonstrated strategic and reflective approaches, integrating assessment practices into institutional improvement. Moderately performing schools exhibited hybrid patterns combining procedural compliance with emerging adaptive practices. Developing schools primarily adopted administrative approaches constrained by limited resources, organizational capabilities, and external pressures. These patterns suggest that institutional capacity and environmental conditions jointly shape policy implementation. The findings highlight the potential of an integrated RBV–PESTEL–SWOT framework for understanding differentiated assessment policy implementation. They suggest that standardized assessment policies require capacity-sensitive strategies to prevent existing institutional disparities from translating into unequal educational opportunities. Further empirical investigation is needed to establish the proposed explanatory relationships.