Appalachian Stereotypes and the Impact on Student Success Dr. Sarah Beasley, Director of Retention, Concord University Appalachian Higher Education Network.

Appalachian Stereotypes and the Impact on Student

SuccessDr. Sarah Beasley, Director of Retention, Concord University

Appalachian Higher Education NetworkJune 25, 2015

I can do it!

Why Rural?

Urban bias

25% of public school children in rural school districts (12 million+)

Only 17% of rural adults have a college degree

Rural students (18-24 yr olds) less likely to attend college than their suburban and urban counterparts (31% vs. 42% vs. 46%)

Rural community decline

Rural poverty

Live in counties with no college

Have little access to college information

Have lower educational aspirations

Have parents who did not attend college

Have parents that are less likely to encourage higher education (rural student perception)

Have fewer highly educated role models

Have less confidence in their academic ability

Rural youth more likely to…

4

Findings: Family

Attachment to Family Four-year/two-

year Pressure to stay

Mingo County native, Bob Maguire (on left), visiting family cemetery in Newtown, WV.

Findings: Family cont. Family Legacies

Gender norms Increased

pressure to carry on legacies

Mountain top removal site near Gilbert, WV.

Parental Encouragement and Support

Financial Encouragement Help with Applications Education as a Priority Cultural Capital

Findings: Family cont.

• Do Better Than Parents

• Success for Others

Findings: Family cont.

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Findings: Leaving & Returning/Staying

I think most of ‘em sticking around here, like the guys, you’ll see them going off [inaudible] and going in the coal mines and going in the ground [inaudible] or doing something like timber and stuff. That’s pretty much all that’s open around here. And then the girls that normally don’t go to college from up around here pretty much after a few years you see ‘em married off, and have families, which is not a bad thing, you know? But that’s normally how [the] pattern. It’s kinda like if you don’t take your chance and get out when you can, you never find the opportunity again. It’s like once you get sucked in, you’re here for good (student interview).

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Additional FindingsCommunity, High

Schools, and PeersHigh School

EncouragementExtracurricular

InvolvementPeer Support

Gilbert, WV, Gilbert High School 2009 homecoming parade.

Additional Findings cont.

Other College Success Factors and BarriersStudent

Worries/Concerns

Negative Stereotypes Matewan, WV

What can we do?

Have the tough conversations

Include Families

Replicate family supports (intrusive and appreciative advising)

Provide peer support (learning communities, study groups, cohorts, etc.)

West Virginia/Appalachian

StereotypesHillbillyRedneck

IgnorantHick

What is Stereotype Threat? (Steele & Aronson, 1995)

Increased anxiety; decreased task self-efficacy;

increased negative thinking; lowered expectations; decreased working memory

Negative stereotype

Image from http://www.npr.org/2012/07/12/156664337/stereotype-threat-why-women-quit-science-jobs cognition

Effects of Stereotype

Threat• Underachieveme

nt on academic tasks

• Self-handicapping• Limit options/alter

aspirations• Decreased

performance in non-academic tasks

• Disengagement/disidentification

• Risk averse/task avoidance

When might it be worse?

Group identity salience

Numerical minority/solo

Stereotype salience

Evaluation of domain

Self- Efficacy

Academic Achievement

College Adjustment

Student Persistence

Students with high self-efficacy: o Set high goalso Have high task

persistenceo More likely to use

heuristics/short cuts in problem solving

• “The belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations” (Bandura, 1994)

GRIT (Duckworth)

“Perseverance and passion for

long-term goals”

How gritty are you?—Short Grit Scale

Positive Academic Mindset

PositiveAcademicMindset

Self-Efficacy

GrowthMindset

Sense of Belonging

Work has Value

Mindset (Dweck)

Fixed Mindset

It’s fixed or something you’re born with (inherent/natural).

Avoids

Gives up easily

Fruitless or worse

Ignores useful negative feedback

Threatened by

Intelligence/Skills/Talent

Challenges

Obstacles

Effort

Criticism

Success of Others

Growth Mindset

Hard work and effort can improve.

Embraces

Persists in the face of setbacks

Path to mastery

Learns from criticism

Finds lessons and inspiration in

Fixed Mindset

Why bother?

I’m just n

ot

good at

math!

You’re smarter than me…

This is too

hard. I give

up!W

hat if I

fail?

It’s n

ot my

fault…

“There is no substitute for hard work.” Thomas Edison

“Genius is 1% talent and 99%hard work…” Albert Einstein

“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” Henry Ford

Growth Mindset

Provide Positive Role Models

Reframe the task as non-evaluative

Increase Self-Efficacy (modeling, praise)

Encourage Growth Mindset

Self-affirmation

Rich History and Culture

You’re so smart!

You worked so hard!

http://www.khanacademy.org/youcanlearnanything

“Why I’ll Never Tell My Son He’s Smart”

Salman Khan,

founder of Khan Academy

Growth Mindset

You belong here! All students

worry about belonging in

college…over time everyone

comes to feel at home.

SUCCESS = Effort + Strategies + Help from Others

Yeager, Walton, & Cohen (2013)

Questions

Comments

Contact:

Dr. Sarah Beasleysbeasley@concord.edu304-384-6298

Concord