Stage 1 Developing the Focus group to discuss supervision concourse Consult the literature around supervision (Q set) Develop the concourse and reduce to a 54 items Pilot the Q set Stage 2 Select the Early years practitioners operating within participants local authority selected. (P set) Consent and information sheet given. Stage 3 Q sorting process Pilot the Q sort and materials (Q sort) Q sort given in groups within early years settings, researcher present Supplementary questionnaire Stage 4 factor analysis By person factor analysis using PQmethod software (Q analysis) Production of view ‘factors’ representing points Stage 5 Interpretation Interpretation of factors using crib sheets (f-set) Discuss interpretations with selected participants Disseminate/feedback findings 3.6. A Brief Introduction to Q Methodology Q methodology is a method of studying specifically their individuals’ subjectivity, view point, attitudes, beliefs or opinions. Q Methodology was originally developed by William Stephenson (1902-1989). In a Q methodology study, participants are presented with statements on a particular theme (the Q set) and asked to put the statements into order (card sorting task) according to their own judgements to complete a Q sort. By sorting the statements, the participants demonstrate their view point or on the theme. These individual rankings of the ‘personal profile’ statements are then processed using by-person factor analysis. Correlations between individual profiles, or segments of the profiles, can then demonstrate the existence of similar view points on the topic in question. The factors that are elicited through Q analysis are not imposed upon the participants and are used to describe a population of views rather than a population of people. This method can be contrasted with factor analysis which involves looking for correlations (‘R method’) between variables across a sample of participants. Q methodology looks for
Stage 1 Developing the concourse (Q set) Focus group to discuss supervision Consult the literature around supervision Develop the concourse and reduce to a 54 items Pilot the Q set Stage 2 Select the participants (P set) Early years practitioners operating within local authority selected. Consent and information sheet given. Stage 3 Q sorting process (Q sort) Pilot the Q sort and materials Q sort given in groups within early years settings, researcher present Supplementary questionnaire Stage 4 factor analysis (Q analysis) By person factor analysis using PQmethod software Production of ‘factors’ representing view points Stage 5 Interpretation (f-set) Interpretation of factors using crib sheets Discuss interpretations with selected participants Disseminate/feedback findings 3.6. A Brief Introduction to Q Methodology Q methodology is a method of studying individuals’ subjectivity, specifically their view point, attitudes, beliefs or opinions. Q Methodology was originally developed by William Stephenson (1902-1989). In a Q methodology study, participants are presented with statements on a particular theme (the Q set) and asked to put the statements into order (card sorting task) according to their own judgements to complete a Q sort. By sorting the statements, the participants demonstrate their view point or ‘personal profile’ on the theme. These individual rankings of the statements are then processed using by-person factor analysis. Correlations between individual profiles, or segments of the profiles, can then demonstrate the existence of similar view points on the topic in question. The factors that are elicited through Q analysis are not imposed upon the participants and are used to describe a population of views rather than a population of people. This method can be contrasted with factor analysis (‘R method’) which involves looking for correlations between variables across a sample of participants. Q methodology looks for