QuantCrit Meets SciCrit: A New Lens on Science Education and Discipline-Based Education Research

Facilitated by:

Paulette Vincent-Ruz (she/ella), Assistant Professor in Chemistry Education Research at New Mexico State University

About this event:

In this talk, I will share how I build theoretical frameworks that center systemic power dynamics and apply QuantCrit as a methodological approach to address educational inequity in Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER). If the goal is to challenge and dismantle inequitable structures in education, research must move beyond post-positivist paradigms and engage with frameworks explicitly aligned with equity, justice, and liberation.

I begin by outlining the philosophical grounding necessary for critically engaged research, emphasizing the importance of framing questions within broader systems of power and oppression. I then introduce QuantCrit—a methodology that adapts principles from Critical Race Theory to quantitative research—as a tool for critically engaging with data while resisting deficit-based narratives.

This talk is organized into three parts: (1) I provide historical context around the development of dominant statistical methods and how they often conflict with equity goals; (2) I define key tenets of QuantCrit and their relevance for DBER researchers; and (3) I illustrate how to apply these tenets throughout the research process, from formulating questions and selecting theoretical frameworks to designing studies and making analytical decisions.

My aim is to provide both conceptual grounding and practical strategies for DBER researchers who are interested in using quantitative or mixed methods to disrupt oppression and support transformative change in education.

Speaker Biography:

Paulette Vincent-Ruz (she/ella) is an Assistant Professor in Chemistry Education Research at New Mexico State University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico and obtained her Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Policy from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Education. Her research perspective is informed by her background. She identifies as a Queer Latinx cis-woman of color, born and raised a settler colonialist on the rightful lands of the Mexica Tribes. Her research seeks to build an understanding of the systemic disadvantages that hinder the success of marginalized students and their effect on student's chemistry attitudes, opportunities, and learning by using equity centered theories and methodologies. Her unique combination of Chemistry disciplinary knowledge and educational theory earned her the American Chemical Society's recognition as a Future Leader in Chemistry, the first time this was awarded to a chemistry education researcher.