2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Using Q Methodology to Capture Variations in Perspectives in Engineering Education

Presented at Conversations about Qualitative and Mixed Methods I

Background: This full methods paper explains the Q methodology and its potential applications in engineering education.
Purpose / Hypothesis: Q methodology identifies distinct subgroups of individuals who respond similarly to survey questions, revealing constituent themes. In doing so, it effectively inverts the traditional R-method design by correlating people rather than variables to uncover shared perspectives within a group rather than generalized trends. Q methodology captures both consensus and divergent views while combining quantitative and qualitative strengths. As such, it is a well suited methodology for engineering education research. Although it is gaining popularity within engineering education, many researchers remain unaware of Q methodology and its potential applications, or lack understanding of its methodological details.
Method: We reviewed journal and conference publications applying Q methodology in engineering education to understand how the method has been used and to highlight its qualitative aspects. Key methodological details including the study topic, statement construction, sample size and factor interpretation were extracted to provide guidance for researchers applying Q methodology in engineering educational research.
Results: Despite growing interest, Q methodology remains underutilized in engineering education research. It offers a powerful way to understand variations in perspectives, providing a balance between quantitative and qualitative techniques. Our results show it has been applied across a wide range of engineering topics, but considerable variability exists in implementation, and achieving an appropriate balance between qualitative and quantitative approaches is often challenging. This work presents our findings, begins to theorize the role of Q methodology in the field and offers recommendations for researchers interested in exploring this emerging and valuable method.
Conclusion: Q methodology has the potential to uncover meaningful variations within student populations that may not be fully captured using traditional quantitative methods. These findings suggest additional applications in engineering education where the Q methodology could serve as a valuable tool for obtaining and analyzing more bi-directional feedback between students and educators.

Authors

Dr. Rebecca Thomas http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-2426-4759 Bucknell University [biography]

Rebecca Thomas is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Bucknell University and the inaugural director of the Pathways ePortfolio Program, overseeing the rollout of Bucknell’s ePortfolio initiative. She . She holds a B.S. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Sarah Appelhans http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7313-3504 Lafayette College [biography]

Sarah Appelhans is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Studies at Lafayette College. She earned her PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University at Albany (SUNY) where she conducted research on the cultural factors that contribute to inequalities in engineering. As a postdoc at Bucknell University, she was the resident ethnographer in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, exploring applications of Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach in engineering education. Her current book project, On the Bleeding Edge: Gender, Immigration and Precarity in Semiconductor Engineering, investigates the intersections of gender, race/ethnicity, and immigration status among semiconductor engineers.
Jenny Tilsen http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-4301-3592 Bucknell University [biography]

Dr. Jenny Tilsen has a background in Science and Technology Studies and STEM Education. She is also the creator or STEMtelling, a pedagogical storytelling tool.
Dr. Stewart Thomas http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5554-1475 Bucknell University [biography]

Stewart J. Thomas received the B.S. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and the Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 2013. He has served on the organizing committee for the IEEE International Conference on RFID series since 2014, serving as the Executive Chair in 2022, with research interests in areas of low-power backscatter communications systems and IoT devices. He is also interested in capabilities-based frameworks for supporting engineering education. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Bucknell University in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Lewisburg, PA USA.
Dr. Alan Cheville Bucknell University [biography]

Alan Cheville studied optoelectronics and ultrafast optics at Rice University, followed by 14 years as a faculty member at Oklahoma State University working on terahertz frequencies and engineering education. While at Oklahoma State, he developed courses

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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