UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff KKeennttuucckkyy UUKKnnoowwlleeddggee Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, Educational, School, and Counseling and Counseling Psychology Psychology 2013 TTHHEE CCUULLTTUURRAALL DDIISSCCOONNTTIINNUUIITTYY HHYYPPOOTTHHEESSIISS:: AANN AAPPPPAALLAACCHHIIAANN AAMMEERRIICCAANN PPEERRSSPPEECCTTIIVVEE IINN EEAASSTTEERRNN KKEENNTTUUCCKKYY Timothy W. Conner II University of Kentucky, [email protected] RRiigghhtt cclliicckk ttoo ooppeenn aa ffeeeeddbbaacckk ffoorrmm iinn aa nneeww ttaabb ttoo lleett uuss kknnooww hhooww tthhiiss ddooccuummeenntt bbeenneefifittss yyoouu.. RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Conner, Timothy W. II, "THE CULTURAL DISCONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS: AN APPALACHIAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY" (2013). Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology. 11. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edp_etds/11 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SSTTUUDDEENNTT AAGGRREEEEMMEENNTT:: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained and attached hereto needed written permission statements(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine). 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The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Timothy W. Conner II, Student Dr. Lynda Brown Wright, Major Professor Dr. Kenneth M. Tyler, Director of Graduate Studies THE CULTURAL DISCONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS: AN APPALACHIAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky By Timothy W. Conner II Lexington, Kentucky Co-Directors: Dr. Lynda Brown Wright, Professor of Educational Psychology Dr. Kenneth M. Tyler, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology Lexington, Kentucky Copyright © Timothy W. Conner II 2013 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION THE CULTURAL DISCONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS: AN APPALACHIAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY K.M. Tyler et al. (2008) propose a quantitative method to measure differences between school and home experiences had by students of ethnic minority status and how such differences (cultural discontinuity) may affect psychological factors related to student achievement. Although study of cultural discontinuity has been applied to understanding African American, Asian American, Latino American, and Native American student populations, little attention has been given to the ways in which cultural discontinuity may manifest in the Appalachian American population. This study conceptualizes the socio-cultural conditions that would warrant such an investigation, establishing evidence from ten interview subjects of the presence of cultural values associated with Appalachian Americans from Eastern Kentucky. The interviewee evidence provides a necessary starting point for investigating regional culture and marginalization effects that may occur based on membership within the Appalachian American community. KEYWORDS: Appalachian American, Socio-cultural Conditions, Education, Regional Culture, Marginalization Timothy W. Conner II July 29, 2013 THE CULTURAL DISCONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS: AN APPALACHIAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY By Timothy W. Conner II Dr. Lynda Brown Wright Director of Dissertation Dr. Kenneth M. Tyler Director of Graduate Studies July 29, 2013 Date DEDICATION First of all, I want to dedicate this work to my family, particularly to my wife Della for her constant support and to my son T.J. for his understanding of his daddy’s “need to work two jobs.” I also want to dedicate this work to the participants in the dissertation— Appalachian Americans in Eastern Kentucky from whom I have started down a research agenda that should help shape lives in the communities there for the better. Finally, I dedicate this work to my mothers, both of whom passed away while I was working on my Ph.D. I hope they find some comfort in my accomplishment. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my chairs, Drs. Kenneth M. Tyler and Lynda Brown-Wright, both of whom have been models of success, mentors, and sources of comfort for many years. I thank my committee members, Drs. Danner and Brown, for their suggestions, support, and consistent commitment to seeing me succeed. I also thank Drs. Lola Aagaard and Ronald Skidmore of Morehead State University for their constant support and vigilance. I would not have been successful without them always believing that I could be successful. Shambra Mulder, Ph.D., was a dear friend and companion as we walked our paths together and for that, I will always be thankful. Finally, thanks to all who researched cultural influences on learning before me. I would not have been able to continue in my inquiry without having their shoulders to stand upon as I worked. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter One: Introduction and Statement of Problem Background and Statement of the Problem .........................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................3 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................ 5 A glimpse into cultural discontinuity ...........................................................5 Theoretical frameworks supporting cultural discontinuity ..........................6 Socio-historical/Socio-cultural theory .............................................6 Ethnocentric monoculturalism .........................................................9 Cultural discontinuity and Appalachian Americans ..................................11 Chapter Two: Comprehensive Literature Review Appalachia and Appalachian Americans: Where Is It and Who Are They? .........13 Cultural characteristics of Appalachia .......................................................16 Egalitarianism ................................................................................18 Independence/individualism ..........................................................18 Personalism/avoidance-of-conflict ................................................19 Religious world view .....................................................................19 Neighborliness ...............................................................................19 Love of land ...................................................................................19 Preference for the concrete ............................................................20 Family responsibilities over educational values ............................20 Strong sense of patriotism ..............................................................20 Cultural Characteristics of Mainstream America ..................................................21 Individualism .............................................................................................22 Competition................................................................................................22 Cultural Characteristics of Appalachia and Mainstream America—Noticed Clashes and Exploitation .......................................................................................24 Chapter Three: Method Research Questions and Hypotheses .....................................................................29 Methodology ..........................................................................................................30 Participants .............................................................................................. 33 Researcher Biases ......................................................................................36 Materials ....................................................................................................38 Procedures ..................................................................................................39 Research design .........................................................................................40 Chapter Four: Results Analysis..................................................................................................................45 Results ....................................................................................................................47 iv Evidence of egalitarianism .........................................................................47 Evidence of independence and individualism ............................................48 Evidence of avoidance of conflict ..............................................................50 Evidence of neighborliness ........................................................................51 Evidence of strong religious (and Christian) values ..................................54 Evidence of love of the land ......................................................................57 Evidence of preference for the concrete ....................................................58 Evidence of strong sense of patriotism ......................................................62 Evidence of family responsibilities over educational values .....................65 Evidence of “other” important statements .................................................70 Evidence of cultural alignment between home and school ........................72 Evidence of cultural misalignment between home and school ..................74 Chapter Five: Discussions/Conclusions Significance of Study .......................................................................................... 77 Evidence of egalitarianism ...................................................................... 80 Evidence of independence and individualism ............................................81 Evidence of avoidance of conflict ..............................................................81 Evidence of neighborliness ........................................................................82 Evidence of strong religious (and Christian) values ..................................83 Evidence of love of the land ......................................................................83 Evidence of preference for the concrete ....................................................84 Evidence of strong sense of patriotism ......................................................85 Evidence of family responsibilities over educational values .....................85 Limitations .............................................................................................................92 Suggestions for Future Study .................................................................................94 Contributions of this Study to the Scholarship ......................................................95 Appendices Appendix A: Graphic of Cultural Discontinuity ....................................................97 Appendix B: Map of the Appalachian Region .......................................................98 Appendix C: Map of Appalachian Poverty Rates ..................................................99 Appendix D: Maps of Relative High School and College Completion Rates in Appalachia ...........................................................................................................100 Appendix E: Map of Relative Per Capita Income Rates in Appalachia ..............101 Appendix F: Interview Questions ........................................................................102 Appendix G: Consent to Participate in a Research Study....................................105 References ........................................................................................................................109 Vita ...................................................................................................................................119 v LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1, Proposed Interviewees from Appalachia ........................................................ 35 Table 5.1, Salience of Value Sets among Participants by Educational Attainment....... 90 vi