Q Methodology and Q-Perspectives® Online: Innovative Research Methodology and Instructional Technology

Q methodology is an underutilized research methodology in the fields of education, instructional design and instructional technology, yet is well suited to research on perceptions of learning, efficacy of design, technology adoption and other issues within those fields. One reason for its lack of widespread use is the somewhat cumbersome nature of the research process, including the lack of readily available mainstream tools to conduct data collection and analysis. The authors introduce Q methodology, discuss its relevance in educational and instructional technology research and introduce their design of a new tool, Q-Perspectives® Online (Walker et al. 2017). The authors provide examples of the how Q-Perspectives® Online makes Q methodology more accessible as an instructional tool, and provide examples of use in face-to-face, flipped and online classrooms. The authors also describe how the methodology and real-time analysis tool provide an opportunity to bridge the research/practitioner divide by creating an explicit merger of the learning and research environments.     

What influences a pet dog’s first impression of a stranger?

Dogs live in the dynamic human social networks full of strangers, yet they form strong and selective bonds with familiar caretakers. Little is known about how a bond is initially formed between a dog and a complete stranger. The first-impression hypothesis suggests that interacting with strangers can present an opportunity to form a mutualistic partnership. It predicts that dogs should respond positively toward a complete stranger to facilitate bonding (Prediction 1) and adjust their preferences in response to the perceived risk and benefit of interacting with strangers (Prediction 2). We examine the social preferences of pet dogs toward a complete stranger whom they have never met before and several other potential partners – the owner with whom subjects have had a positive, long-term bond (Experiment 1), and an exposed stranger with whom they have had a positive short-term interaction (Experiment 2) or a negative one (Experiment 3). In support of Prediction 1, subjects were exceptionally trusting across contexts. Mixed results were found with regard to Prediction 2. Subjects preferred their owner over a stranger when following social cues and (to a lesser degree) when approaching and feeding in close proximity. However, relative to a complete stranger, subjects did not consistently prefer the positively exposed stranger or avoid the negatively exposed one. The lack of clear selectivity might be due to pet dogs’ high baseline level of trust of complete strangers or reflect the strength of their existing bonds that negated the need for another positive bond with a new human partner.     

Achievement in Science as a Function of the Mobility—Fixity Dimension

The characteristic of field‐independent subjects to function consistently in a field‐independent fashion (i.e. fixity) and of others to vary more according to circumstances (i.e. mobility) has been referred to as the Mobility‐Fixity Dimension. This dimension, based on the theories of Werner, Witkin and Pascual‐Leone suggests, that field mobile students perform better than fixed students in science courses. The main objective of this study, based on high school students (mean age = 16.5 years; SD = 1.0) in Venezuela, was to test the following predictions. (1) Mobile students would obtain a better performance than fixed students on variables such as introductory high school mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and earth science courses; and (2) among mobile students, those classified in the middle‐high range of the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and the Figural Intersection Test (FIT), would obtain a better performance as compared to those in the lower‐middle range. Results obtained, in general, provide support for the first prediction. The differences between the performances of mobile and fixed groups were, however, significant (p < 0.05) only for the biology and earth science courses. Students in one of the high mobility groups obtained a better performance (in all courses) than not only the corresponding low mobility group but also a fixed group with high scores on both the GEFT and FIT, which provides support for the second prediction. It is concluded that problem‐solving ability in science courses may be strengthened through the mediation of the Mobility‐Fixity Dimension.     

‘Drawing Out’ ‐ a Humanist Approach to Drawing

Over the past twenty‐five years as an art teacher I have sought answers to three questions: 1. In what ways and to what extent can drawing practice explore both conscious and unconscious thought processes? 2. In what ways can the participant individuate his or her experience through the practice of drawing? 3. In what ways can drawing form a dialogue between personal philosophy and experience? Refering to my own experience and pedagogy I define some of the historical, pschological and philosophical contexts for my perception of drawing, including comments from my students, in the process making no special distinction between child and adult art. I have studied the evolution of pupil’s drawing practices and particularly those of my own children, as they assert their own perceptions and responses to experience, conceptualising feelings both sensuous and emotional through telling stories and defining realities. Throughout history the will to draw has persisted, its function differing and changing through time and cultural contexts. Beuys commented that everyone can be an artist, if they want to be; can anyone really afford not to draw?     

University administrators and faculty bargaining

This study presents empirical data suggesting that middle-level university administrators tend to oppose faculty bargaining, especially by an aggressive union. Findings cover administrators' perceptions of and attitudes toward faculty bargaining, prebargaining conditions in their work milieu, and expectations as to potential outcomes of bargaining under alternative agents. Factor analysis is used to identify underlying perceptual structures for which specific expectations may serve as indicators. Multivariate analysis suggests that perceptual-attitudinal variables related to prebargaining conditions explain little of the variance in support for bargaining. Most of the variance explained by the model derives from expectations concerning outcomes, perceptions of how well bargaining is working in higher education, and personal political orientation. Policy and research implications are suggested.     

Prediction of School Outcomes Based on Early Language Production and Socioeconomic Factors

Early differences in family SES, child language production, and IQ were related to outcomes in early elementary school in the present prospective, 10-year longitudinal study. In a prior study of family interactional variables associated with language learning, major differences in parenting (i.e., time, attention, and talking) were found to be associated with differences in child productive vocabulary between 7 to 36 months of age, and child IQ, favoring higher-SES parents. Lower-SES children were exposed less often than higher-SES children to diverse vocabulary through their parents' attention and talking, and they were prohibited from talking more often. In the current study, 32 children involved in the earlier study were repeatedly assessed between 5 to 10 years of age, while in kindergarten through third grade. Results indicated that SES-related differences in child language prior to school were predictive of subsequent verbal ability, receptive and spoken language, and academic achievement assesed on standardized tests in kindergarten through grade 3. However, none of the predictor variables were related to direct measures of elementary schooling. When combined with a composite SES indicator, early child language production significantly increased the variance accounted for in the prediction of elementary language and academic competencies in each subsequent year in elementary school. Implications are discussed in terms of the stability of performance on language and academic performance measures of children who entered school with different early language learning experiences, and the need to consider early home- and school-based intervention designed to prevent or ameliorate these trends.     

“Our Leaders Are Us”: Youth Activism in Social Movements Project

In this article, we describe the development and implementation of a project, “Our Leaders Are Us: Youth Activism in Social Movements”, that we undertook with New York City high school students exploring events leading up to and following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown. As part of a 50th anniversary celebration of the Brown decision, we designed a series of three workshops that sought to extend urban students’ knowledge of Brown, segregation, and activism and to examine the roles of young people in critical civil rights campaigns. In addition, we discussed with students the ways in which young people can be involved in contemporary social movements and the strategies they can use to effect what they perceive to be needed changes in their lives. Along with the researchers’ extensive field notes, the participating students completed questionnaires throughout the project so that their understanding of Brown and related issues could be documented. Using our findings, we suggest ways that educators can develop and implement similar programs for use in schools.

Prekindergarten Interactive Book Reading Quality and Children’s Language and Literacy Development: Classroom Organization as a Moderator

Research Findings: This study examined the association between interactive book reading quality and prekindergarten children’s gains in language and literacy skills over the course of an academic year for 96 teachers and 417 children across multiple locations in the United States. Two moderators were examined, namely, children’s initial skill level and teachers’ classroom organization during an interactive read-aloud session. In keeping with prior research, interactive book reading quality, measured by examination of teachers’ extratextual talk, was positively and significantly related to children’s development of both language and literacy skills. Interactive book reading quality was not significantly moderated by children’s initial skills, with the exception that interactive book reading quality appeared most beneficial to children’s print knowledge for children entering prekindergarten with relatively low skill. The unique contribution of this study is that the association between interactive book reading quality and children’s expressive vocabulary was dependent on an organized classroom during the book reading session. Practice or Policy: The quality of teachers’ talk during interactive book reading may matter for children’s vocabulary development only when reading sessions are characterized by relatively high classroom organization. Classroom organization should be an important consideration while planning for interactive book reading sessions.     

Realizing the American Dream: A Parent Education Program Designed to Increase Latino Family Engagement in Children’s Education

Grounded in Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s parent involvement process model, the Realizing the American Dream (RAD) parent education program targets Latino parents’ involvement beliefs and knowledge to enhance their involvement behaviors. Comparison of more than 2,000 parents’ self-reported beliefs, knowledge, and behavior before and after RAD revealed large effect sizes for knowledge, moderate gains in involvement behaviors, and modest changes in beliefs. Postprogram behaviors were predicted by postprogram knowledge and beliefs, prior behaviors and beliefs, and family income. Observational data from 3 sites showed that RAD was implemented with fidelity. Implications for school practice and promoting Latino parent engagement are discussed.