Layne Elise Ilderton

Dr. Layne Elise Ilderton is a former secondary teacher and current rural literacy researcher at UC Blue Ash Campus. Findings of her full-length studies on writing apprehension have been published in academic journals and disseminated at U.S. conferences (NCTE, AERA), and her written experiences from the rural classroom have also been published in academic journals such as The Rural Educator and Voices from the Middle. She is the editor and creator of ruralcore, a small-print literary magazine which showcases student writing and provides counter-commentary on rural stereotypes. She is the author of upcoming young adult novel, Field Notes: Coming-of-Age Comics and Tales of Rural Resistance (Green Writers Press, Oct 2026). Her favorite thing in the world is to read rural student writing.

Ph.D.: Arizona State University Tempe, AZ, 2025 (English Education)

M.S.Ed.: Purdue University West Lafayette, IN, 2022 (English Language Learning)

B.A.: Purdue University West Lafayette, IN, 2019 (English Education)

Ilderton specializes in rural literacy, secondary student pedagogy and educational psychology. She utilizes mixed methods such as qualitative case study and ethnography and also specializes in validating quantitative survey tools. Her intersection with educational psychology frameworks involves studying the self-esteem and confidence of rural secondary students in their literacy practices.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Ilderton, L.E. (2025). Rooted writing: The role of place in rural writing identities. The Rural Educator, 46(2), 68-78.

Ilderton, L.E. (2025). Promoting critical empathy, civic change in middle classrooms through anonymous narrative reflection. Voices from the Middle, 31(3), 29-32.

Ilderton, L.E. (2026. ) (Accepted for publication). Connecting rural classrooms at all levels: A model for teacher-researcher collaboration. The Rural Educator., ,

Greene, J., et al. (2026. ) (Under review). The evolving role of generative AI in graduate writing habits: A reflective study through the BASE Model lens .Composition Forum., ,

Other Publications

ruralcore magazine

Published Books

Ilderton, L.E. (October 2026). Field Notes: Coming-of-Age Comics and Tales of Rural Resistance. Green Writers Press, Brattleboro, VT.

Book Chapter

Ilderton. L.E. (2026 ) (Google) mapping rurality: Unpacking bias, ethics of locating remote high schools in rural educational research Ethics of Place: Navigating Critical Issues in Rural Research (In review) .Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK, Edward Elgar Publishing

Poster Presentations

Ilderton, L.E. and Brackebusch, T. (2025. ) Literary magazines in rural secondary settings .National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference, Denver, CO. .

Ilderton, L.E. (2024. ) Writing apprehension in secondary rural students: Anxiety, confidence, and enjoyment .National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference, Boston, MA. .

Paper Presentations

Ilderton, L.E. and Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2025. ) Revising, validating a secondary student, writing apprehension survey instrument: In pursuit of educational remedy and repair .Denver, CO.

Ilderton, L.E. (2026. ) (Under review). Queer World-Building in Rural YA Fiction: Ethical Out-of-Place Representation .Philadelphia, PA.

Symposium

Fuqua, M., et al. (2026. ) (Under review). Ethics of place: Navigating critical issues in rural research. .Brisbane, Australia.

Ilderton, L.E. (2025. ) Literary magazines as local artifacts in the rural secondary English classroom (Roundtable presentation). Denver, CO.

Parton, C., et al. (2024. ) The Rural Assembly on English Language and Literacy Education (Roundtable presentation). Boston, MA.