Discipline and theory in higher education research

Higher education research is, by its nature, rather an introspective field of study. It is also highly dispersed within and beyond the academy: inherently, therefore, it is a multidisciplinary field of study. An analysis of 567 articles published in 15 leading higher education journals in 2010 demonstrates both the breadth of interest in higher education research across the academy, and variations between disciplines in the themes researched, the methods and methodologies employed and the theoretical perspectives applied. Examples of theoretical perspectives drawn from different disciplines and/or developed within higher education research, and applied to researching particular topics, are identified and discussed. It is concluded that the field is both healthy and growing, though, in most countries, it lacks a strong or disciplinary identity.