Massification in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of its Boundaries, Drivers, and the Role of Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

Massification has transformed higher education worldwide, yet the accumulated empirical research on this phenomenon has not been systematically reviewed. This study conducts a systematic review of 28 peer-reviewed empirical articles published between 2011 and 2024, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, and using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) 2018 framework. The synthesis reveals that: (1) traditional definitions based on Trow’s enrolment thresholds are increasingly inadequate for explaining contemporary dynamics, particularly in contexts of hypermassification; (2) economic, political, social, and cultural drivers interact to expand participation while simultaneously reinforcing inequalities and credential inflation; and (3) critical pedagogy—rooted in Freire and Giroux—offers a transformative framework that democratizes learning, fosters student agency, and promotes equity within massified systems. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex nature of higher education massification and offer practical implications for achieving equitable massification through critical pedagogy.