Constructing and Staffing the Cultural Bridge: The School as Change Agent in Rural Appalachia

Abstract

Anthropology B Education Quarterly 26(2):168-192.

Motivation and attitude of preservice elementary teachers toward mathematics : is rural revevant?

“…They often demonstrate familism, which is a reluctance to live away from kinfolk (Nafziger, 1971), and are therefore very attached to the region where they were raised. DeYoung (1995aDeYoung ( , 1995b found evidence of this attachment to place in his study of an Appalachian rural high school in Braxton County West Virginia. The young people he interviewed expressed their desire to stay close to their families -to the extent that they would rather live on government assistance than look for work elsewhere.…”

“…For example, DeYoung (1995aDeYoung ( , 1995b found that some citizens in this region did not support local efforts to increase graduation rates and encourage college attendance. Ismail (2006) reported that many rural, low-income communities were not concerned with sanctions issued by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.…”

“…For example, DeYoung (1995aDeYoung ( , 1995b (Branscome, 1972;Ernst & Drake, 1972;Schrag, 1972). Schools are often seen as the foremost connection between a rural area and the outside world, with a mission to prepare young people for participation in the national culture rather than the local culture (DeYoung, 1995b). DeYoung reported that the churches in this region are sometimes also critical of school teachings, which negatively influence attitudes toward schools and education.…”

The Move to Middle School: Parents’ Expectations and Early Adolescents’ Adjustment in Rural Communities

“…Rural parents' educational aspirations and expectations for their children tend to be lower than those of urban and suburban parents (Beaulieu, Israel, & Wimberley, 2003); low aspirations among rural Appalachian parents may affect the extent to which they are concerned about their youths' academic adjustment (Wallace & Diekroger, 2000, as cited in Ali & Saunders, 2008;Wilson, Peterson, & Wilson, 1993). Rural Appalachian parents may view the academic domain of the middle school transition with some ambivalence, as educational attainment may result in youths' departure from the local community (DeYoung, 2007). An understanding of parents' expectations for the middle school transition provides insight into how youth are prepared to make the move to middle school.…”

“It Was Fine, if You Wanted to Leave”: Educational Ambivalence in a Nova Scotian Coastal Community 1963–1998

“…Sociology and anthropology in particular were established during a period of rapid industrial transition featuring mass migration from the country to the city. Migration from rural to urban areas continues, and in many rural areas schooling is linked in an ambivalent way with the decline of traditional communities, youth outmigration, and the onward march of modernity (DeYoung 1995;Hektner 1995;Lawrence 1998;Wilson and Stortz 1993).…”