Rodl, Janelle E., Rebecca A. Cruz, & Gregory A. Knollman (2020, June, in press). Applying Q methodology to teacher evaluation research. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 65, art. 100844. (ePub in advance of print) (Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100844)
Abstract: This article examines Q methodology as an empirical approach for use in teacher evaluation research, specifically research examining evaluative measures as applied to teachers of students with disabilities. Q is a qualiquantalogical method that requires participants to order or scale items relative to each other in characterizing a person or behavior. Participant viewpoints are intercorrelated and factor analyzed to determine common viewpoints regarding the salience of items representing a particular domain. This article provides an overview of Q methodology and includes a description of a study that used Q to determine common viewpoints of the salient features of special education teachers’ instructional practices. Implications for using Q in teacher evaluation research broadly and special education teacher evaluation specifically are discussed.
Janelle E Rodl <jrodl@sfsu.edu> is in the Department of Special Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA (USA).
