Σύγκριση μεθόδων

	Μεθοδολογία Q	Ανάλυση Παραγόντων	Θεματική Ανάλυση
Πεδίο	Ψυχολογία	Ερευνητική Στατιστική	Ποιοτική Έρευνα
Οικογένεια	Hypothesis test	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Έτος προέλευσης	1935	1931	2006
Δημιουργός	William Stephenson	Louis Leon Thurstone	Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke
Τύπος	Q-sort ranking technique	Method	Method
Θεμελιώδης πηγή	Stephenson, W. (1935). Technique of factor analysis. Nature, 136(3434), 297.	Thurstone, L. L. (1947). Multiple Factor Analysis. University of Chicago Press.	Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Εναλλακτικές ονομασίες	Q-Sort, Q-Technique	EFA, CFA, latent variable modeling	TA, Reflexive Thematic Analysis
Συναφείς	3	3	3
Σύνοψη	Q-Methodology is a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative factor analysis with qualitative interpretation to identify distinct perspectives, viewpoints, or 'factors' shared by groups of people. Introduced by William Stephenson in 1935, it uses Q-sorts—where participants rank statements on a continuum—to measure subjective viewpoints systematically. The method applies factor analysis to correlations among Q-sorts (not items), revealing common patterns of opinion or attitude that transcend individual differences.	Factor analysis is a statistical technique for identifying latent (unobserved) dimensions underlying observed variables, developed by Louis Leon Thurstone in the 1930s and formalized by Jöreskog (1969). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) discovers unknown factor structure from data; confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tests hypothesized relationships between observed and latent variables. Essential in psychometrics (test development), organizational research (measuring constructs like leadership style), and biomedicine (identifying disease subtypes), factor analysis reduces dimensionality while revealing conceptual organization in multivariate data.	Thematic Analysis (TA) is a qualitative research methodology for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) in qualitative data. Developed systematically by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke (2006), TA is flexible and accessible, applicable across diverse theoretical frameworks and data types, making it one of the most widely used qualitative methods in psychology, health research, and social sciences.