Semester of Graduation
Spring 2026
Degree Name
Masters of Arts in Professional Writing
Department
English
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Amanda Pratt
Second Advisor
Professor Mary McMyne, MFA
Abstract
This capstone project focuses on my personal experiences with the Appalachian dialect. Using scholarship as the background of the writing, I composed a series of creative nonfiction scenes from my life to foreground what could be revealed for K-12 teachers, administrators, and anyone interested in linguistic justice or about the Appalachian dialect and education. Then, I created a guide for teachers, detailing ways to better respond to prejudice against dialect and to create a sense of linguistic justice within the classroom. Throughout the project, it became increasingly clear that, while a vast amount of research exists about dialects and English Language Learners, there is not much connecting to the Appalachian dialect or how to include their cultural and linguistic differences within the classroom. It is my hope that through this project, there is an opening into a deeper discussion to be centered on the Appalachian dialect within education.