Lessons Learned: Some Guidelines to Factor Interpretation

Abstract

Data Interpretation is an essential process in understanding the results of a Q-methodological study. Employing a team approach to provide further practice of the interpretation process, we used an earlier study of values preferred in adolescent friendship to highlight the lessons discovered in our interpretative work. The uniqueness of this research was the iterative team interpretation of a staged process and the faculty mentor relationship in the teamwork. Lessons learned included the time it takes to develop understanding, the importance of mentorship and the use of abduction, intuition, and holistic interpretation. Further lessons focused on the development of an ability to take the role of the hypothetical person, learning strategies to overcome novice researcher status, how to use the PQMethod report and the use of all the reported data in the analysis and interpretation.