Berkeley Review of Education

This systematic literature review analyzed the theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches higher education researchers used to examine the intersections between geography and student college choice. The literature review was guided by Critical Race Spatial Analysis, a conceptual framework and methodological approach for studying the interconnections between race, racism, space, and educational opportunity. The synthesis and analysis of 24 peer-reviewed empirical journal articles revealed that higher education researchers typically failed to employ a theoretical framework to conceptualize these intersections or relied on race-neutral economic perspectives to study geographic disparities in college choice. The analysis of the methods used by higher education researchers found that scholars over-relied on quantitative research approaches, such as regression analyses. These findings suggest that future research examining the intersections between geography and college choice should consider employing critical, raced-gendered, and spatial theories, as well as qualitative or mixed methods to address pressing gaps in college choice research.