Thinking critically about the “critical”: Quantitative research as social critique

Baez, Benjamin

doi:10.1002/ir.201

Cited by 36 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Quantitative criticalists received a challenge in the original volume when Baez encouraged us to go beyond asking critical questions toward explicitly linking findings with suggested actions for social transformation. Many critical quantitative scholars do indeed provide suggestions for social transformation as well as changes in educational research methods; some of those prominent scholars include Estela Mara Bensimon and coauthors (Bensimon, Hao, & Bustillos, ), Sylvia Hurtado and coauthors (Hurtado, Alvarez, Guillermo‐Wann, Cuellar, & Arellano, ), Edward St. John (), and Deborah Faye Carter ().…”

Section: Resistance To Quantitative Criticalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Quantitative Inquiry in Context

Stage

Wells

2014

New Drctns for Instit Rsrch

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(Stage, 2007). In that volume, a group of quantitative researchers sought to differentiate their approaches to quantitative research from more traditional positivistic and postpositivistic approaches. The term quantitative criticalist was used to describe a researcher who used quantitative methods to represent educational processes and outcomes to reveal inequities and to identify perpetuation of those that were systematic. The term also included researchers who question models, measures, and analytical practices, in order to ensure equity when describing educational experiences. These scholars resisted traditional quantitative research motivations that sought solely to confirm theory and explain processes.In this chapter, we briefly summarize the academic basis of the underlying constructs related to critical quantitative inquiry, describe critiques of this perspective, and provide an overview of the work of the quantitative criticalists highlighted in this volume. Next, we discuss the future of the critical quantitative paradigm in two ways: (a) an expanded conceptualization of the tasks of critical quantitative inquiry regarding oppression and underrepresentation of particular groups of people, and (b) continued scrutiny and reflection on the theoretical underpinnings of critical quantitative research as it moves forward.

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Section: Resistance To Quantitative Criticalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Quantitative Inquiry in Context

Stage

Wells

2014

New Drctns for Instit Rsrch

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“…Critical quantitative research challenges scholars of higher education and institutional researchers to pose critical questions about equity (Stage, ; Stage & Wells, ) and to use their findings to guide action aimed at bringing about change (Baez, ; Stage & Wells, ). Person‐centered methodological approaches have great potential for meeting these challenges.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Person‐Centered Approaches to Critical Quantitative Research: Exploring Inequities in College Financing Strategies

Malcom-Piqueux

2015

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Critical quantitative researchers aim to uncover the existence of systematic inequities in educational processes and outcomes through analysis of quantitative data (Stage, 2007). Critical quantitative research also involves questioning the models, measures, and methods typically used in conventional quantitative approaches and employing those better capable of describing the experiences of historically understudied and marginalized groups (Stage, 2007). This chapter discusses the utility of person-centered approaches to doing critical quantitative research that address questions related to educational equity.Person-centered approaches are concerned with identifying groups of individuals that are qualitatively different from one another but share similar attributes, experiences, or outcomes with those individuals in the same category. These approaches, which are underutilized in the higher education research literature, are particularly useful for revealing educational inequities that might otherwise go unnoticed using more common variablecentered approaches.In this chapter, I describe person-centered approaches and contrast them with more common variable-centered approaches. I then discuss the ways in which person-centered approaches can be used in critical quantitative work to explore questions related to equity for historically NEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, no. 163

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“…Our study examines whether and how a critical orientation is addressed in contemporary research on international higher education. We recognize the multiplicity of approaches that can be included under the "critical" label (Baez, 2007). While this term may be contested, some form of conceptual operationalization is necessary.…”

Section: Critical Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While this term may be contested, some form of conceptual operationalization is necessary. Consequently, our focus is on whether issues of inequality are explicitly articulated, how power differences are addressed, and whether an emancipatory agenda or the interruption of oppression is explicitly discussed (Crotty, 1998;Baez, 2007). The question of criticality is central to comparative and international higher education.…”

Section: Critical Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criticality in international higher education research: a critical discourse analysis of higher education journals

et al. 2018

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Thinking critically about the “critical”: Quantitative research as social critique

Abstract: Research should be judged by the questions asked and the critiques offered.

Cited by 36 publications

References 14 publications

Critical Quantitative Inquiry in Context

Critical Quantitative Inquiry in Context

Application of Person‐Centered Approaches to Critical Quantitative Research: Exploring Inequities in College Financing Strategies

Criticality in international higher education research: a critical discourse analysis of higher education journals

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