The Case for QuantCrit: An Analysis of Race and Gender in the Journal of Research in Music Education

Abstract

The Journal of Research in Music Education ( JRME) is an important resource in music education with a history of eminence in publication, citation, and influence on research trends and practices. Recent qualitative research appearing in the JRME has demonstrated a nuanced focus on the relevance of race and gender and marginalized perspectives within music education. This led us to question whether quantitative research in the JRME reflects similar attention to and progressive treatment of race and gender. Therefore, the purpose of this critical content analysis was to analyze the use of race and gender as demographic and analytical variables in quantitative research published between 2003 and 2022 in the JRME. Findings suggest that researchers do not account for race and gender in the majority of quantitative research, and when they do, their treatments lack nuance. We situate the discussion of our findings using quantitative critical race theory (QuantCrit) as a theoretical framework and offer suggestions for more ethical research practices for quantitative researchers to consider.