2010 Summer Workshop on Q Methodology in Assessment and Research

Workshop participants (from the left in the image): Jane Blank, University of Phoenix, healthcare administration; Ingunn Storksen, University of Stavanger (Norway), psychology; Thomas Lennon, Kent State University, counseling; Steven Brown, Kent State University, political science; Lok Subba, University of Stavanger, educational psychology; Heidi Larew, Kent State University, counseling; Kristin Bruns, Kent State University, counseling; Peter Finnerty, Kent State University, counseling; Debra London, Kent State University, counseling; Klara Overland, University of Stavanger, psychology; and Linda Schurch, Walden University, education.

This summer’s workshop met, as usual, under the auspices of the Department of Counseling, Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services, Kent State University, and workshop members brought with them a variety of intellectual and research interests: avian influenza and public health, political psychology and policy, suicide prevention, lesbian-gay-bisexual-transsexual issues, clinical supervision, mindfulness practices, virtual technologies in training, daycare centers, virtual leadership, developmental psychology, and children with learning difficulties. The workshop covered the usual topics—history and principles, Q sorting, calculation of correlations, data-entry into the QMethod program, explanation of computer output, manual extraction of factors and graphical rotation, calculation of factor scores, and factor interpretation. Ingunn Storksen and Klara Overland presented an overview of the BAMBI project at the University of Stavanger (involving Q sortings by preschoolers from families of divorce). Travis Schermer (doctoral candidate in counseling, Kent State University) also presented the results of his dissertation research on men in counseling.