Simon Watts & Paul Stenner 
Doing Q Methodological Research [EPUB ebook] 
Theory, Method & Interpretation

This book is a simple yet thorough introduction to Q methodology, a research technique designed to capture the subjective or first-person viewpoints of its participants. Watts and Stenner outline the key theoretical concepts developed by William Stephenson, the founder of Q methodology, including subjectivity, concourse theory and abduction. They then turn to the practicalities of delivering high quality Q methodological research.

Using worked examples throughout, the reader is guided through:

• important design issues

• the conduct of fieldwork

• all the analytic processes of Q methodology, including factor extraction, factor rotation and factor interpretation.

Drawing on helpful conceptual introductions to potentially difficult statistical concepts and a step-by-step guide to running Q methodological analyses using dedicated software, this book enables interested readers to design, manage, analyse, interpret and publish their own Q methodological research.

Inhoudsopgave

PART ONE: THEORY

Introducing Q Methodology: The Inverted-Factor Technique

Theory and Q Methodology: From Stephenson to Constructionism

PART TWO: METHOD

Basic Design Issues: Research Questions and Q Sets

Doing the Fieldwork: Participants, Materials and Procedure

Understanding the Analytic Process (1): Factor Extraction

Understanding the Analytic Process (2): Factor Rotation and the Preparation of Factor Arrays

PART THREE: INTERPRETATION

Factor Interpretation

Writing and Publishing Q Methodological Papers

Appendices

General Instructions for Completing a Q Methodological Study

Conducting an Analysis Using PQ Method: A Step-by-step Guide (plus an explanation of the PQ Method output or .lis file

First Draft Crib Sheets (for study factors 2, 3, 4 and 5)

Over de auteur

Paul Stenner is Professor of Social Psychology at The Open University, UK. He completed his Ph D at the University of Reading, UK, and has held posts at the University of Brighton, University College London, University of Bath, and the University of East London. He works with process approaches to psychosocial issues. He has published work in numerous fields including the emotions, human rights, quality of life, and active ageing. With Simon Watts, he is the author of Doing Q Methodological Research: Theory, Method and Interpretation (SAGE, 2012). He has published 25 peer-reviewed articles using, or about, Q methodology and numerous book chapters, including Q methodology (Stenner, Watts, & Worrell, 2017) and The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology, Second Edition (Willig & Stainton Rogers, Eds., 2017).