SSC 253 - Q Methodology

Semester Hours: 2

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the statistical and methodological principles associated with Q methodology. Q methodology was innovated by the British physicist/psychologist Dr. William Stephenson (1902-1989), and provides both the tools and the philosophy to scientifically study the subjective and is of interest to students of the human sciences, e.g., political science, psychology, education, sociology, communications, health studies, etc.. We will investigate the differences between Q and R methodologies, concourse theory, q-samples, p-sets, q-sorting, conditions of instruction, the statistical tools of correlation and factor analysis, judgmental rotation of factors, factor scores, factor interpretation, and use of dedicated computer software to analyze Q results. The course will provide examples of applications of Q methodology, and students will undertake an actual study using Q methodology.