Q methodologist views on the future of Q: a study of a research community

Abstract

It has been almost 90 years since William Stephenson’s 1935 letter to Nature that opened the door for Q methodology [Q]. Criticisms and excitement ensued and continue into the present within and outside of the Q research community. Yet, any research community contains researchers with different positionalities about the methodology’s philosophical framework, and best practices regarding data collection and/or data analysis. A relatively recent Q study indicated differences of opinion among Q methodologists when it comes to data analysis and its philosophical framework. Twenty years ago, Hurd and Brown uncovered four divergent viewpoints about the Q community’s view of the future of Q. Thus, especially with Q’s growing popularity, it seemed time to repeat that study with some change to the subjective statements used within the data collection phase, as many changes have occurred especially regarding technological advances for data collection and data analysis. Two viewpoints were uncovered, Tradition and Community, with a focus on the theoretical framework provided by Stephenson and the welcoming nature of the Q community, and Unorthodox with Expansion of Q, with a yearning to expand Q both physically and theoretically including a willingness to move beyond Stephenson’s vision. The discussion and conclusion focus on the implications of these perspectives and their shared consensus for the future of Q methodology as well as implications for other research methodologies. In other words, this study provides a demonstration of complementarity for understanding the behavior of all types of research communities.