The focus of the international meeting was on the use of Q methodology, a research tool that assists researchers in understanding in greater depth what and how individuals think about a specific topic. It was created in the early 1930s by William Stephenson, who held doctoral degrees in both psychology and physics, according to Dan Durning, Institute faculty member who was the UGA liaison for the conference.
Q methodology is used to address research questions in many disciplines. Durning and others at the Institute are interested in the use of Q methodology in public policy analysis. “Q methodology can provide insights into how different stakeholders or segments of the public view controversial policy issues or define policy problems. As a post-positivist methodology, it yields information not available through the usual statistical methods,” he explained.
The ISSSS is an interdisciplinary group with an interest in the continued development of Q methodology for the study of subjectivity across disciplines. This range is reflected in the conference agenda, which featured presentations of papers, workshops, and various other sessions. The keynote speaker was Dr. Len Barchak, professor of public relations at McNeese State University and a leader in the use of Q methodology.
For more information, visit the conference Web site maintained by ISSSS.
