“How do I deal with these new ideas?”: The psychological acculturation of rural students.

This study explored how an awareness of psychological acculturation can help faculty to understand rural/Appalachian students’ classroom experiences. By using a thematic analysis technique, selections from student journals were identified that captured the perspective of being a rural/Appalachian student adjusting to the new cultural system of a college classroom. By focusing on 16 self-identified rural/Appalachian students, the researcher identified the attitudinal positions of assimilation, separation, and integration as students negotiated this intercultural experience. This paper identifies the complexity of rural/Appalachian cultural identity and also suggests strategies on how faculty can help students cope with oppositional knowledge they encounter in the university classroom.