Mounting empirical evidence suggests the conflation of teachers' instructional orientations and personal epistemological beliefs helps form the perceptual identity of educators. The current study, therefore, sought to describe in what way Oklahoma agricultural education teachers' epistemological beliefs and orientations toward instruction combine…

When students from other countries come to the United States to study, social, cultural, and often academic adjustments are necessary to foster their successful integration into college and university life. Using multiple theories of personal adaptability (social, emotional, cultural, communication), a Q sort of 47 statements was sorted by 21…

This study with families caring for an individual with an intellectual disability in a mid-sized Indian city explored the diverse explanatory models that parents constructed of causes, preferred treatment approaches and perceived social effects of their child's intellectual disability. Seventeen mothers and three fathers rank ordered 48 disability…

This study examined the ways that students describe how they look for information for a research project. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence was used to theoretically choose the statements that were sorted by the participants to determine the perceptions of the information-seeking process. Using Q methodology as the research strategy,…

Creating scientifically literate students is a common goal among educational stakeholders. An understanding of nature of science is an important component of scientific literacy in K-12 science education. Q methodology was used to investigate the opinions of preservice and in-service teachers on how they intend to teach or currently teach science.…

This paper highlights Q methodology as an appropriate research technique for capturing attitudes and demonstrates the use of Q method to study the attitudes of preservice teachers and teacher educators toward student diversity. A total of 43 participants from a comprehensive American university sorted 47 Q-statements. Two array groups emerged that…

Understanding the emotional energy of teachers may provide evidence for the nature of the learning environment. Herein, the concept of overexcitabilities (OEs) was used to explore the ways that teachers of general and gifted classes describe their own intensities or emotional preferences. Q methodology was used with 24 teachers from American and…

Outdoor leaders have an opportunity to promote and facilitate a bond with the out- of-doors, yet little research has been conducted to describe the evolving relationships between outdoor leaders and the natural environments with which they come into contact. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of outdoor leaders toward the…

California secondary agriculture teachers (n=23) participated in a Q-method study. Three predominant beliefs about their work emerged from factor analysis: a view of teachers as Activity Coaches (emphasizing Future Farmers of America/supervised agricultural experience), Academic Teachers (meeting student needs through classroom instruction), or…

Differentiating instruction for diverse learners means planning and implementing curriculum based on each student's level of readiness. Appropriate curriculum development for gifted and talented students involves differentiation of content, teaching and learning strategies, and student products in a student-centered environment. A study used Q…