Publication Patterns of Higher Education Research Using Quantitative Criticalism and QuantCrit Perspectives

While higher education scholars have become progressively more interested in employing critical approaches within quantitative research, there is a significant need to improve our understanding about the dissemination and publication of such work. Drawing from a systematic scoping review of 15 years of published higher education literature that integrates quantitative methods and critical inquiry, this article examines 45 manuscripts explicitly using quantitative criticalist or QuantCrit (i.e., quantitative critical race theory) perspectives. Specifically, we investigate which outlets published the included articles, scope and metrics of each outlet, and disciplinary (mis)alignment between contributing authors and publishing outlets. Findings reveal important trends about the uptick in published scholarship using critical quantitative approaches, the equity-focused scope of outlets that have published the majority of manuscripts in our sample, and how scholars’ disciplinary training and affiliation may be associated with publication trends. Given that publication processes may serve as a gatekeeping mechanism in academic knowledge dissemination, we conclude with implications for faculty holding power in publishing outlets (e.g., on editorial boards) as well as scholars engaging quantitative criticalism and QuantCrit in higher education.