Burning With Shame but Holding the Peace: A Narrative Inquiry into the Formation of Appalachian English Language Arts Teacher Identities

To tell the story of a singular Appalachian experience is to discredit and discount the multitude of voices that inhabit the various regions that make up Appalachia. As contemporary accounts strive to uplift marginalized or underrepresented narratives, researchers now aim to address questions as to how narratives of the region are constructed and what those constructions can tell us about life in portions of Appalachia. From a poststructuralist theoretical frame, this study examines the complexity of educational practices in Southern Appalachia and problematizes a singular, monolithic accounting of those lived experiences. Building on the work of John Gaventa, Amy Clark, Nancy Hayward, and Anne Puckett, this descriptive, narrative inquiry explores how first-year English Language Arts teachers engage with contextual and cultural factors of teaching in this region and the formation of their identities as educators in Appalachia. The resulting narrative inquiry addresses the following research questions: 1.) How do first-year teachers construct their identities as secondary English Language Arts educators in a Southern Appalachian region? 2.) What, if any, tensions emerge in these constructions? Findings reveal participant perceptions of English Language Arts Education in theory and practice, contributing to a broader understanding of Appalachian identity formation.