Incorporating Q Methodology in an Undergraduate Research Class

Q Methodology provides the opportunity for undergraduate students to explore in details attitudes associated with a topic that is salient to them. This paper describes how Q Methodology was used in an undergraduate mass communication research class to determine attitudes toward higher education in Louisiana and then to devise a targeted communication product (advertisement, PR or journalistic piece) that would appeal to specific attitudinal segments. A detailed discussion of the procedures used for this study draw on William Stephenson’s view of the concourse and self-referent statements that underpin Q Methodology. Suggestions for how to manage a large classroom project for undergraduates are provided.