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ERIC Number: ED668128
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-5296-0345-3
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 2022-03-01
Higher Education During COVID-19: Q Methodology Studies Online. Sage Research Methods: Doing Research Online
Susan E. Ramlo
Sage Research Methods Cases
Q methodology (Q) offers a scientific way to study subjectivity, meaning people's viewpoints about a topic. The underlying assumption of Q is that when people share an experience, they do not necessarily form the same viewpoint about that experience. This is different from the use of Likert-scale surveys that report results using aggregate (averages) scores for responses to statements. Instead, Q allows the researcher to differentiate and describe the divergent viewpoints that exist on a topic. During its first half-century, Q was labor intensive: cards with statements to sort had to be created, sort data entered by hand; and analyses done through hand-calculations. The introduction of computers facilitated the analyses stage of Q, but the Q-sort process remained hands-on without the aid of technology until relatively recently, especially considering Q's creation in 1935. Here, I use a specific online Q study, where the purpose was to ascertain the multiple, divergent viewpoints about faculty moving their face-to-face courses online in a form of emergency remote instruction, due to the pandemic, to illustrate how to perform a Q study online. The online data collection and analysis tools make doing Q studies more accessible to undergraduates and post-graduate students. How Q findings can provide important insights related to subjectivity and, therefore, behaviour, is also discussed. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book.]
Sage Research Methods Cases. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; Web site: https://methods.sagepub.com/Cases
Publication Type: Books; Non-Print Media; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A