Dr. Penny Pasque (she/her) is considered one of the leading qualitative research experts in education and human sciences. She’s Professor of Educational Studies in the Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) program, faculty for the Qualitative Inquiry in Education (QIE) certificate, faculty affiliate in Philosophy, History, & Policy (PHP). In addition, she’s Founding Director of the QualLab methodology center and Director of Qualitative Methods in the Office of Research, Innovation and Collaboration (ORIC), College of Education and Human Ecology. She is also editor of one of the leading research journals in the field, The Review of Higher Education, which is the primary journal for the Association for the Study of Higher Education, an ACPA Diamond Honoree (award), and an ACPA Senior Scholar Diplomate (award). Learn more on the bio page here.
Dr. Pasque writes on qualitative research, conducts large and small scale qualitative research projects, and leads international advanced methods institutes that gathers scholars across fields and disciplines from the United States and abroad. Notably, she has been sought out by U.S. legislators to weigh in on the future of actionable research, serves as consultant for research studies with the National Science Foundation, and has participated in visioning meetings with the Spencer Foundation. Pasque served on international ophthalmology research teams in the past and is currently co-PI on a seed grant from Ohio State’s Chronic Brain Injury program focused on the advancement of ophthalmological Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and is co-PI on a grant under review with the Department of Defense (update: to start September, 2024).
Specifically, Dr. Pasque’s research advances complexities in qualitative and post-qualitative inquiry in order to tangibly address the worlds “wicked” problems across fields and disciplines. She focuses on critical qualitative approaches, critical advocacy inquiry (CAI), congruency throughout a research design (no matter one’s paradigmatic perspective or methodological approach), and beyond. In other words, she studies qualitative (non)methodologies and methods that work toward social justice and educational equity. She also utilizes qualitative approaches in research projects in higher education, ophthalmology, and other areas of social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. In the area of higher education organization and policy research, Dr. Pasque’s research has focused on in/equities in higher education and dis/connections between higher education and society (i.e., higher education for the public <-> private good). Learn more about her scholarship here, including a seminal ASHE Report on critical qualitative research, handbooks, encyclopedias, journal articles and books.
In addition to directing Qualitative Methods for the College of Education and Human Ecology, she directs the college’s QualLab methodology center. In this role, Pasque serves the college as a consultant, sounding board, and/or instructor to help strengthen the research designs of faculty, post-docs, and graduate students. She worked with faculty to create the Qualitative Inquiry in Education 3B Embedded Certificate for EHE (website to come). Dr. Pasque also teaches qualitative research methods and serve as the Department of Educational Studies’ ESQUAL Program Coordinator – information on the curriculum is here. Learn more about her teaching here. She also advises master’s and doctoral students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program in the Department of Educational Studies. If you are a current advisee or are interested in working with Dr. Pasque, you can find more information and resources here.
CAREER AT-A-GLANCE: Dr. Penny Pasque has transitioned from assistant, associate, full, endowed professor, then department head of approx. 55 faculty & 850 graduate students prior to focusing on the qualitative research methodology center at Ohio State.
Click here to learn more about the QualLab
Click here to learn more about the
Review of Higher Education
If you need my full title or address – it is:
Penny A. Pasque, PhD (she/her)
Professor & ESQUAL Program Coordinator, Educational Studies
Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) | Qualitative in Education (QIE) Certificate | Philosophy, History, & Policy in Education (PHP) (affiliate)
Director, Qualitative Methods
Director, QualLab ~ EHE’s qualitative methodology center
Office of Research, Innovation, & Collaboration
College of Education and Human Ecology
The Ohio State University
339-341 Ramseyer | 29 Woodruff Ave |Columbus, OH 43210
pasque.2@osu.edu / 614-292-9348 | u.osu.edu/pasque.2/
Editor, Review of Higher Education, rhe@ashe.ws