Rooted in Appalachia: Empowering Rural Students to Envision & Enact Possible Selves in Postsecondary Education

Scholarship underscores the experiences of Appalachian students who must confront a social reality that consistently expects less from them because of their circumstances and the narratives surrounding their social context (Collins, 2020; Piene et al., 2020). Traditionally, the Appalachian people have been viewed by educators from a deficit approach although some theorists are transitioning to see the value in Appalachian people and, using this alternative lens, are approaching the Appalachian identity with more place-based pedagogies such as funds of knowledge (Collins, 2020; Piene et al., 2020). These culturally responsive approaches see value in the region's people and scaffolds a positive learning environment on the cultural heritages and identities of the region and allows students to expand their views of possible selves. In turn, this contribution explores the pedagogical approaches embodied in possible selves as a theory that builds on rural and small community assets and successes as related to the social resources and capital that rural students represent. Specifically, we look at the connections that possible selves as a theory makes to rural students' socioeconomic, sociocultural, and sociohistorical contexts and how this theory can accentuate concepts like social capital with respect to postsecondary student success.