Doing Q ethodology: theory, method and interpretation

Watts, Simon; Stenner, Paul

doi:10.1191/1478088705qp022oa

Cited by 937 publications

(1,427 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Following rotation, exemplar Qsorts were identified using the strategy described by Watts and Stenner (2005) where only Qsorts with a loading of ± .04 (p<0.01) on one factor are retained. The exemplar Q-sorts were merged to create factor arrays (a table showing the average score for each item by factor) using a weighting formula devised by Spearman (Brown, 1980).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, service providers can seek Fatwas (religious decrees) from religious scholars that give permission for abortion before 120 days gestation in cases where a fetus is affected by a disorder of a "severe nature" (Ahmed, Saleem, Sultana, Raashid, Waqar, & Anwar, 2000). Q-Methodology combines quantitative techniques and analyses with broadly qualitative approaches to sampling and pattern interpretation (Stenner, Watts, & Worrell, 2008;Watts & Stenner, 2005). The method requires participants to consider and respond to a set of statements (the Q-set) using a ranking technique (a Q-sort).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘All is done by Allah’. Understandings of Down syndrome and prenatal testing in Pakistan

Bryant

Ahmed

et al. 2011

Social Science & Medicine

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Understanding the psychosocial impact of a congenital condition such as Down syndrome on affected individuals and their family requires an understanding of the cultural context in which they are situated. This study carried out in 2008 used Q-Methodology to characterize understandings of Down syndrome (DS) in Pakistan in a sample of health professionals, researchers and parents of children with the condition. Fifty statements originally developed for a UK study and translated into Urdu were Q-sorted by 60 participants. The use of factor analytic techniques identified three independent accounts and qualitative data collected during the Qsorting exercise supported their interpretation. In two accounts, the "will of God" was central to an understanding of the existence of people with DS although perceptions about the value and quality of life of the affected individual differed significantly between these accounts as did views about the impact on the family. The third account privileged a more "scientific worldview" of DS as a genetic abnormality but also a belief that society can further contribute to disabling those affected. Attitudes towards prenatal testing and termination of pregnancy demonstrated that a belief in the will of Allah was not necessarily associated with a rejection of these technologies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘All is done by Allah’. Understandings of Down syndrome and prenatal testing in Pakistan

Bryant

Ahmed

et al. 2011

Social Science & Medicine

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“…The participants in the study were strategically sampled (Watts et al, 2005). The main priority was to purposively select actors that seemed likely to present particularly interesting perspectives in diverse contexts.…”

Section: Application Of Q Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detailed information, including the epistemological and methodological background of this method, can be found in the original works of founder Stephenson (Stephenson 1953) and his follower Steven Brown (1980;1999). Condensed descriptions of the method have also been provided in the textbook of McKeown et al (1988) and in methodological papers of Watts et al (2005) and Previte et al (2007). Application of the method is presented in empirically-focused publications, such as Barry et al (2000) or Addams (2000).…”

Section: General Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

How organic farmers view their own practice: results from the Czech Republic

Zagata

2009

Agric Hum Values

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This paper addresses the development of organic agriculture in the Czech Republic, which is seen as a success story among post-communist countries. The relatively short history of organic farming and specific contextual factors raises questions about the nature and meaning of Czech organic farming. The goal of this study was to find out how farmers view their own practice, interpret its symbolic value, and construct its content. This empirical study uses Q methodology aimed at the identification of the collectively-shared perspectives belonging engaged actors. Data were gathered through semi-standardized interviews with Czech farmers registered in official organic scheme. The analysis emphasized three components, which are considered as three distinct perspectives possessed by organic farmers; that is, (1)

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“…Q-method is primarily an exploratory technique. It is not a technique to test, support, or prove hypotheses (Watts & Stenner, 2005). However, it can bring a sense of coherence to research questions that may have multiple, potentially complex and socially contested answers (Stainton Rogers, 1995) and is specifically designed for the direct measurement of an individual's subjective point of view relative to that of other individuals (Brown, 1980).…”

Section: Assessing Situated Perspectives With Q-sortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managed Migration of Coast Redwoods: Subjectivity of Stakeholders in Oregon’s Land Use Planning Community

Jenkins¹,

Jenkins²

2017

ENRR

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The Earth's climate is changing at a faster pace than the slow natural adjustment rates of most species to their rapidly shifting habitat conditions, especially for long-lived tree species, such as the iconic coast redwood Sequoia sempersqvirens. This may leave some species stranded in less than optimal environments, resulting in population extinctions and/or the need for human-assisted migration. However, the implementation of assisted migration does not come without economic, legal, political, ecological, and ethical issues. One of the most important and complex social questions regarding assisted migration is that of the land use planning community in the area being considered. This article explores the subjective beliefs among these stakeholders regarding managed migration of coast redwood trees into suitable habitats in Oregon. Q-methodology was used to structure the complexity of participants' subjective beliefs into a few manageable themes to reveal broader socio-economic and environmental perspectives and shared ways of perceiving and valuing the relationship between social, economic, and environmental concerns. The findings of this study suggest two main factors 1) positively ranked values that align on new perspectives of utilitarian ecological values, and 2) positively ranked values that align on a land based communitarian perspective. This convergence suggests an ecologically aware land management ethos as opposed to the view of favoring human's dominion over nature, and therefore bolsters the potential for the future success of managed migration of coast redwoods into suitable habitats in Oregon given the state's existing land use policy.

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Doing Q ethodology: theory, method and interpretation

Cited by 937 publications

References 21 publications

‘All is done by Allah’. Understandings of Down syndrome and prenatal testing in Pakistan

‘All is done by Allah’. Understandings of Down syndrome and prenatal testing in Pakistan

How organic farmers view their own practice: results from the Czech Republic

Managed Migration of Coast Redwoods: Subjectivity of Stakeholders in Oregon’s Land Use Planning Community

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