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Critical Quantitative Inquiry (CritQuant)

The School of Education’s Critical Quantitative (CritQuant) Research Group is a groundbreaking collective of faculty and students dedicated to challenging and reimagining traditional research methodologies in education.

What Is CritQuant?

Critical quantitative inquiry (CritQuant) is a way of using quantitative data to study education in a critical way that questions and challenges existing ideas. It analyzes quantitative data to uncover inequities and identify how social or institutional processes perpetuate systematic disparities (Answering Critical Questions Using Quantitative Data, Frances K. Stage, 2007). CritQuant also questions the models, measures, and analytic processes used in traditional quantitative research, offering alternative models, measures, and practices that better represent the experiences of those who have been inadequately represented.

Lolita A. Tabron’s and Amanda K. Thomas’ (2023) review of critical quantitative approaches in education highlights that many educational researchers have adopted CritQuant to examine how schools sometimes focus on students’ deficits rather than their assets. These researchers have attempted to design more authentic assessments and develop instructional strategies that empower students and honor their strengths.

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