Description
While research needs to be transparent, traceable and reproducible – data generation and interpretation often appear as a black box in qualitative research. Literature recommends reflective activities so the researcher is aware of his/her own subjectivity and thus decrease interpretation bias but their effect is limited. We suggest that Q-method offers a more transparent and direct way to capture the researcher’s subjectivity. The Researcher set up a longitudinal study, interviewing 3 participants over 10 weeks about Augmented Reality. Then the Researcher created a Q-study on the basis of the interview transcripts. All 3 participants proceeded to the study, as well as the Researcher who expressed what she thought was the opinion of each participants. All Q-sorts were analysed together, allowing to capture shared representations. The results are interpreted regarding the ability of Q to capture the Researcher’s subjectivity in a transparent way and increase the quality of interview data interpretation.
Recommended Citation
Gauttier, Stéphanie, "Increasing Transparency in Interpretive Research: Q-Method to Objectivize the Researcher’s Subjectivity" (2017). AMCIS 2017 Proceedings. 3.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2017/Openness/Presentations/3
Increasing Transparency in Interpretive Research: Q-Method to Objectivize the Researcher’s Subjectivity
While research needs to be transparent, traceable and reproducible – data generation and interpretation often appear as a black box in qualitative research. Literature recommends reflective activities so the researcher is aware of his/her own subjectivity and thus decrease interpretation bias but their effect is limited. We suggest that Q-method offers a more transparent and direct way to capture the researcher’s subjectivity. The Researcher set up a longitudinal study, interviewing 3 participants over 10 weeks about Augmented Reality. Then the Researcher created a Q-study on the basis of the interview transcripts. All 3 participants proceeded to the study, as well as the Researcher who expressed what she thought was the opinion of each participants. All Q-sorts were analysed together, allowing to capture shared representations. The results are interpreted regarding the ability of Q to capture the Researcher’s subjectivity in a transparent way and increase the quality of interview data interpretation.