Q Methodology
Charles C. Sule M.A.Sc.
Ph.D. Candidate - Environmental Applied
Science & Management
Presentation Overview
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Origins and history of Q
Method
Differences between ‘Q’
and ‘R’ methods and
the q-sort
What Q means by
‘subjectivity’
Participant and sample
selection
Data analysis with
PQMethod
Factor interpretation
Summary
Questions
Origins of Q Methodology
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Conceived by William
Stephenson (pictured),
who had Ph.D.s in both
physics and psychology
Assistant to Charles
Spearman, pioneer of
factor analysis
‘Technique of factor
analysis.’ Nature, 1935,
136(3434), p.297
http://qmethod.org/images/WSpix1.jpg
Q Sort
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Typically statements written on cards
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‘Forced distribution’ to a standard curve
‘R’ Methods
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Simple data matrix
Variables
Pearson’s ‘r’
r = 0.80
r = -0.80
r = 0.00
Persons
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1
2
3
4
m
a
ax1
ax2
ax3
ax4
axm
b
bx1
bx2
bx3
bx4
bxm
c
cx1
cx2
cx3
cx4
cxm
d
dx1
dx2
dx3
dx4
dxm
n
nx1
nx2
nx3
nx4
nxm
Operant Subjectivity
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According to Watts (2011: 39) an
‘operant’ behaviour possesses two
qualities:
1.
2.
an operant is produced and emitted
naturally, without need for special training
or any other form of artificial induction.
an operant is defined by the relationship it
establishes with, and the impact it makes
upon, the immediate environment.
Operant Subjectivity
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Subjectivity is NOT some part of our
consciousness
“It is not ‘inside’ us” (Watts, 2011:
39), Q is not a kind of
phenomenological account
An expression of operant
subjectivity can be recorded in a
‘Q-sort’
Q Method
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Participants are called the ‘p-set’
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Who are they?
How many?
Statement sample is called the
‘q-set’
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Concourse theory – the ‘universe’ of
possible statements
Select a representative sample from
the concourse – the q-set
Q Method
Factor extraction
Factor rotation
Factor scores
Factor interpretation
Factor Scores -- For Factor 1
# Statement
3 Organic is beneficial to biodiversity
47 Org farming returns material to the soil
40 For org to be fair, animals need well-being
33 Fertilizers shall not harm the environment
28 Eating food grown in a particular way
1 No consistent scientific evidence of better nutrition
19 Animal health on org not necessarily better
4 No nutritional differences between org and conv
45 There are no safety differences between org and conv
46 An animal has good welfare if not diseased or ill
Z-SCORES
1.804
1.801
1.695
1.424
1.172
-1.381
-1.518
-1.627
-1.798
-2.264
Q-Summary
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Measures expressions of subjectivity
Suited to exploratory, small n
studies
Q-bie, q-munity…
Kent State listserv just turned 22!
References
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Stephenson, W. (1935). Correlating
persons instead of tests. Journal of
Personality, 4(1), 17–24.
Watts, S. (2011). Subjectivity as operant:
a conceptual exploration and discussion.
Operant Subjectivity, 35(1): 37–47.
Watts, S. & Stenner, P. (2012). Doing Q
methodological research: theory, method
and interpretation. Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE Publications Ltd.