Patterns of Theory Use in Qualitative Research in Higher Education Studies in Latin America: A Geopolitical Interpretation

Jul 6, 2026

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The study examines the relationship between theory and qualitative research in higher education within Latin America through a geopolitical lens that addresses how debates have been shaped mainly in Anglo-Saxon contexts. Analyzing 24 Latin-American papers indexed in Web of Science from 2006–2015, it identifies two dominant patterns of theory use: epistemic problematization and epistemic nuancing of northern theories to fit local contexts. It also proposes a reconfigured knowledge production model for higher education studies from and for the South.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

Introduction

Qualitative Research and Theory

Geopolitics of Academic Knowledge

International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education ISSN: 0951-8398 (Print) 1366-5898 (Online) Journal homepage: [https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tqse20](https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tqse20) Patterns of theory use in qualitative research in higher education studies in Latin America: a geopolitical interpretation Carolina Guzmá n-Valenzuela & Ronald Barnett To cite this article: Carolina Guzmán-Valenzuela & Ronald Barnett (2019): Patterns of theory use in qualitative research in higher education studies in Latin America: a geopolitical interpretation, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, DOI: 10. 1080/09518398 .2019.1597213 To link to this article: [https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1597213](https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1597213) Published online: 04 Apr 2019. | Submit your article to this journal | | --- | | Article views: 19 | | View Crossmark data | Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at [https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tqse20](https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tqse20) Patterns of theory use in qualitative research in higher education studies in Latin America: a geopolitical interpretation Carolina Guzmn-Valenzuelaa and Ronald Barnettb aCenter for Advanced Research in Education, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; bUCL-Institute of Education, London, UK ABSTRACT The relationship between theory and qualitative research has been extensively examined in the literature and has emerged as a problematic matter. This debate has been driven forward mainly in Anglo-Saxon countries and has done scant justice to an understanding of these issues in regions of the South. This paper addresses this matter by drawing on a geopolitical perspective. The study here provides an analysis of 24 papers by Latin-American researchers in higher education, as included in the Web of Science between 2006 and 2015 . Theories in Latin America are mainly produced in the North and exhibit two patterns: (i) critical perspectives are used to address local problems –‘epistemic problematization’; and (ii) a nuancing of Northern theories soas to contextualize them – ‘epistemic nuancing’. Suggestions are also made for a new configuration of knowledge production in higher education studies – a model of knowledge from and for the South. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 7 March 2018 Accepted 10 January 2019 KEYWORDS Theory; qualitative research; higher education studies; geopolitical perspective; Latin America Introduction The purpose of this paper is to examine patterns in theories used in qualitative research in higher education studies in Latin America. In turn, that analysis is placed in the wider context of the geopolitics of academic knowledge, especially in the inter-relationships between the so-called global North and global South. The particular site of the inquiry here is that of the field of qualitative studies within research into higher education. Qualitative research seeks to illuminate the complexity of social phenomena so as to do justice to the experience and meanings of individuals or groups of individuals that are created, negotiated, sustained and modified in a specific context of human action (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Schwandt, 1994; Vasilachis, 2006) and which are not meant to be generalizable. Also, qualitative research uses methods that generate an in-depth understanding of the phenomena in question in their natural context. Insofar as interpretations are offered by the researcher, they are obliged to remain in immediate proximity to the meanings that social actors attribute to them (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, 2008, Vasilachis, 2006) . Interpretations, theories, meanings and contexts in qualitative research are, therefore, intimately related. The relationship between theory and qualitative research has been extensively explored in a literature going back over half a century or

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the paper?

To examine patterns in the theories used in qualitative research within higher education studies in Latin America, and to connect that analysis to the geopolitics of academic knowledge between the global North and global South.

How is the paper’s analysis conducted?

It analyzes 24 papers by Latin-American researchers in higher education that were included in the Web of Science between 2006 and 2015.

What two patterns of theory use are identified in Latin America?

The study finds (i) epistemic problematization, where critical perspectives address local problems, and (ii) epistemic nuancing, where northern theories are refined to contextualize them.

Jul 6, 2026

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