Appreciative Advising to Promote Degree Completion by Appalachian Women

Abstract

Women from the Appalachian region complete undergraduate degrees at a lower rate than other students across the United States. The low postsecondary completion rate correlates to the high levels of poverty within this region. In addition to identifying the economic and educational gaps between the Appalachian region and others in the general U.S. population, advisors must examine the roles, values, and characteristics of Appalachian women to increase their college persistence. The cultivation of hope and the implementation of appreciative advising may increase postsecondary degree completion and thus help Appalachian women break the cycle of poverty .