Akhtar-Danesh, Noori (2018). qfactor: A command for Q-methodology analysis. Stata Journal, 18(2), 432-446.
Abstract: In this article, I introduce qfactor, a new command for Q-methodology analysis. Q-methodology is a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques for studying subjectivity. Its quantitative component is based on a by-person factor analysis, usually followed by a factor-rotation technique Currently only a handful of programs with limited capability are available for Q-methodology analysis, and none of them are in the major commercial statistical programs such as Stata, SPSS, and SAS. qfactor offers an attractive set of options, including different factor-extraction and factor-rotation techniques in Stata. The use of qfactor is illustrated using a dataset representing 40 individuals’ perceptions on marijuana legalization.
Noori Akhtar-Danesh <daneshn@mcmaster.ca> is in the School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Noori, thanks for making this known to practitioners of the Scientific Study of Subjectivity. It promises to add an innovative twist on Stephenson’s and Brown’s understandings of how statistical measurement methods enable active experimentation with the power and behaviour of digits in relation to the interpretation of ana-logic human behaviour. I intend to explore with interest!