Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 96 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-96).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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This study explores what constitutes empowerment among a small group of Appalachian women and the developmental and cultural factors that they believe contribute to such empowerment. Twelve women completed in-depth interviews and questionnaires about their lifespan development with regard to cultural context and progression through Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development. The purpose of the study was to explore women's perceptions of what empowerment is for them and how this is influenced by their developmental histories. This study is a unique contribution to the literature in that it focuses on empowerment from a developmental perspective and seeks to identify factors in lifespan development and cultural context that affect empowerment, focusing on a frequently marginalized population, Appalachian women. The data were examined within an Eriksonian framework in relationship to how successful development through Erikson's psychosocial stages affects empowerment.Qualitative analysis of the results indicated that the participants felt that developmental and cultural factors did contribute to the degree of empowerment women experience as adults. The results also indicated that the Appalachian environment and culture supported their empowerment. The findings also reveal a positive relationship between the degree of empowerment experienced by the women and their successful resolution through the eight psychosocial stages of development. The findings further indicate that the experience and definition of empowerment may be as diverse as women themselves. However, the consistent theme found for all of the women in this study was that the essence of empowerment is experienced as a form of inner strength. The conclusion of this study is that, whether one perceives empowerment to come from internal or external factors, from one's upbringing, one's culture, one's God, or one's spirit, the essence of empowerment is experienced as the freedom to be one's self, in all one's glory. / Master of Science

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This dissertation examines how elementary school teachers in a small rural district set between two state universities talked about the contextual elements that interacted with their teaching roles. The school district served a predominantly European American population, socio-economic ranging from middle-class to working class and some families living in poverty. Fieldnotes collected during a year of teaching third grade in a small rural school, artifacts in the form of paper material collected in schools (e.g. memos, newsletters, handouts, etc.) as well as news articles, and interviews with twenty six participants, provided the data for this study. The interviews, mostly with elementary school teachers, were the focus of the research. Findings make problematic the way most research conducted on elementary schools makes sense of school environments. Teachers described how processes within and external to their school environments entwined in a constantly changing manner. This inquiry raises questions about the impact of innovative programs, technology, the commodification of teachers’ time and space and the hierarchical distribution of power in schools on teachers’ work. It also reveals a lack of fit between the organization of schools and how they function. Finally, it shows problems with inquiry done by researchers positioned between public schools and research settings. / Ph. D.

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The Commission on Religion in Appalachia (CORA) was a mission organization founded in 1965 to bring economic and religious uplift to Appalachia. CORA focused on rural areas and relied on prevalent stereotypes to define the region as homogenous and backward, and its definition permeated its mission work. CORA members were influenced by 1931 and 1958 religious surveys that largely reinforced established Appalachian stereotypes of poverty and isolation. However, Appalachia's urban areas offered a broader definition and understanding of the region. By 1900 there were examples of Jewish communities in Appalachian urban areas that persisted throughout the twentieth century. Urban areas also experienced trends that were seen throughout the south and the rest of the United States. CORA was a mission organization that was founded on an Appalachian identity highlighted by stereotypes of rural homogeneity and poverty, and they excluded urban areas from their definition.

The past decade has been an exciting time for American fiction in general and Southern Appalachian fiction in particular. Rock Big and Sing Loud by Tamara Baxter is a significant addition to this surge of new writing. Writing truly about the world of eastern Tennessee Baxter also writes about the world at large, about humanity. Her narratives can make you laugh or break your heart, and sometimes they do both at once. She has given us the stories of some of the most afflicted and addicted, the most failed and failing, individuals on the planet, and also some of the strongest and most enduring people we are ever likely to meet. These stories take us to places we did not expect to go, and just when we think we have seen what is strangest, most absurd, most alien and outrageous, we recognize something of ourselves. - Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek and Brave Enemies / https://dc.etsu.edu/alumni_books/1021/thumbnail.jpg