No abstract

This study examines the influences of social and cultural capital on persistence from 1st to 2nd year and how these effects differ between community colleges and 4-year institutions. Results show that social and cultural capital have a positive association with student persistence overall but matter less when students begin at a community college.

(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.

No abstract