Doing Q Methodological Research

Simon Watts is PGR Training Coordinator and Deputy Head of the Graduate School in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of East Anglia, UK. He is responsible for organizing all the research, professional development, and advanced training programs for PGR students within the faculty and teaches extensively on these programs. He primarily publishes instructional papers in the area of research methodology/skills, is particularly well known for his work with Q methodology, and is lead author of the Sage publication ‘Doing Q methodological research: Theory, method, and interpretation’ (co-authored with Professor Paul Stenner at the Open University). Simon’s various book and journal publications have been cited in excess of 2000 times since 2012. Paul Stenner is Professor of Social Psychology at The Open University, UK. He completed his PhD 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).

This is the book the Q community has been waiting for! Aspirational Q researchers will find it a comprehensive, balanced and thorough guide, taking them systematically from refining their research question(s) to publishing their first Q methodological studyWendy Stainton RogersProfessor Emerita, The Open University Watts and Stenner′s fresh, comprehensive introduction to Q methodology factor analysis and interpretation is consistently sensitive to the less-experienced researcher′s need for clear explanations and extensive supporting details. All Q researchers will value its range of practical tips and elaboration of important conceptsAmanda Wolf, Editor, Operant Subjectivity: The International Journal of Q Methodology

• PART ONE: THEORYIntroducing Q Methodology: The Inverted-Factor TechniqueTheory and Q Methodology: From Stephenson to ConstructionismPART TWO: METHODBasic Design Issues: Research Questions and Q SetsDoing the Fieldwork: Participants, Materials and ProcedureUnderstanding the Analytic Process (1): Factor ExtractionUnderstanding the Analytic Process (2): Factor Rotation and the Preparation of Factor ArraysPART THREE: INTERPRETATIONFactor InterpretationWriting and Publishing Q Methodological PapersAppendices 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)