Q methodology
Q methodology is a research method used in
Technical overview
The name "Q" comes from the form of
The data for Q factor analysis come from a series of "Q sorts" performed by one or more subjects. A Q sort is a ranking of variables—typically presented as statements printed on small cards—according to some "condition of instruction." For example, in a Q study of people's views of a celebrity, a subject might be given statements like "He is a deeply religious man" and "He is a liar," and asked to sort them from "most like how I think about this celebrity" to "least like how I think about this celebrity." The use of ranking, rather than asking subjects to rate their agreement with statements individually, is meant to capture the idea that people think about ideas in relation to other ideas, rather than in isolation.
The sample of statements for a Q sort is drawn from and claimed by the researcher to be representative of a "concourse"—the sum of all things people say or think about the issue being investigated. Commonly Q methodologists use a structured sampling approach in order to try and represent the full breadth of the concourse.
One salient difference between Q and other social science research methodologies, such as surveys, is that it typically uses many fewer subjects. This can be a strength, as Q is sometimes used with a single subject, and it makes research far less expensive. In such cases, a person will rank the same set of statements under different conditions of instruction. For example, someone might be given a set of statements about personality traits and then asked to rank them according to how well they describe herself, her ideal self, her father, her mother, etc. Working with a single individual is particularly relevant in the study of how an individual's rankings change over time and this was the first use of Q methodology. As Q methodology works with a small non-representative sample, conclusions are limited to those who participated in the study.
In studies of intelligence, Q factor analysis can generate
An alternative method that determines the similarity among subjects somewhat like Q methodology, as well as the cultural "truth" of the statements used in the test, is
The "Q sort" data collection procedure is traditionally done using a paper template and the sample of statements or other stimuli printed on individual cards. However, there are also computer software applications for conducting online Q sorts. For example,
One Q-sort should produce two sets of data. The first is the physical distribution of sorted objects. The second is either an ongoing 'think-out-loud' narrative or a discussion that immediately follows the sorting exercise. The purpose of these narratives were, in the first instance, to elicit discussion of the reasons for particular placements. While the relevance of this qualitative data is often suppressed in current uses of Q-methodology, the modes of reasoning behind placement of an item can be more analytically relevant than the absolute placement of cards.
Application
Q-methodology has been used as a research tool in a wide variety of disciplines including
Validation
Some information on validation of the method is available.[9]
See also
- Card sorting
- Factor analysis
- Group concept mapping
- Validation and verification
- Varimax rotation
References
- ^ "International Situations Project". Archived from the original on 2 November 2017.
- ^ Q methodology net. "Q methodology database by subject". Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
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- ^ Liu, Chung-Chu. "Mobile phone user types by Q methodology: an exploratory research". Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- S2CID 27579290.
- ^ Van Exel NJA, G de Graaf. 2005: "Q methodology: A sneak preview" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- S2CID 11292218.