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AbstractDiscipline is closely linked to the teaching profession. The article focuses on factors affecting discipline in teaching while also specifying the terminology for the concept of discipline in new teachers and defining teacher expectations in achieving discipline in a methodological classification according to research conducted using the Q-methodology. The aim of this paper is to specify the factors that influence discipline in the lessons of new teachers and also to analyse the extent to which teachers are aware of these factors. Since new teachers do not have so much experience in their jobs, they occasionally make mistakes that have a major impact on the perceived importance of discipline. These errors include, for example, dealing with the unruly behaviour of pupils in lessons. Discipline is the order that is necessary for students to learn effectively. Using the outcomes from the Q-methodology survey, we answer current concepts of discipline among new teachers, which involved 46 individuals who used statements to define their own thoughts on discipline relevant to their work. The topic of teacher authority is covered extensively in the academic literature, including a number of books providing good practical information and tips; however, there is a lack of professional publications on factors influencing discipline in education, as these factors have not been explored in detail. The findings of the research investigation are the output of Q-sorting and correlations for the construction of interpretations of discipline in the professional preparation of new teachers.

This study aims to answer the question “Are voting behaviours of postgraduate students, a voter group who are politically educated and well-informed about voting behaviours, affected by socio-psychological factors?.” In particular, if so, it also aims to reveal which socio-psychological factors affect their voting behaviours. The Q-methodology is utilised in this study. The main reason for this methodological preference is that the Q-methodology is a good tool for systematically identifying and examining a particular group’s subjective views that are held around the factors shaping and affecting their voting behaviours by providing factor loadings. Factor loadings, or the cluster of participants, allow us better to illustrate each participant’s association with each of the identified socio-psychological or otherwise factors, similar or different orders of ranking by the participants, to detect individual differences, and, therefore, to indicate (1) whether the socio-psychological factors affect the voting behaviours of the participants, and (2) if so, which socio-psychological factor(s) affects most. This also helps us to conclude that the participants who are mostly associated with one or more factors have similar voting behaviours corresponding to or in opposition to the assumptions of the socio-psychological approach. The participants of the research are 57 postgraduate students studying Political Science and Public Administration at Akdeniz University. The results of the research indicate that most of the participants cluster around two separate factors: while the participants gathered under Factor 1 take their political decisions more rationally and are ready to vote for alternative candidates and political parties in different elections, those who load under Factor 2 are affected by some socio-psychological factors: loyalty to her family’s (the family factor) and inner circles’ political preferences (the inner circle factor), and a long-term commitment and an emotional attachment to a political party and/or the candidate (the time factor). The voting behaviours of the participants gathered under no factors are, however, affected by relatively mixed factors. In addition, it is also revealed that the titles that most differentiate the preferences of the participants cluster around both Factors 1 and 2 are family, education, and rationality.

In the western world, the ageing population is becoming more ethnically diverse. Research has shown the importance of physical and social neighbourhood resources for the well-being realisation of older adults. However, the relative importance of neighbourhood resources for the well-being realisation of older Surinamese adults remains unknown. We conducted a Q-methodology study in April–July 2022 to capture the variety of viewpoints of older adults (age ≥ 65 years) with Surinamese backgrounds in the Netherlands on neighbourhood age-friendliness and well-being realisation. A purposive sample of 33 participants ranked 38 neighbourhood-related opinion statements according to their importance for their well-being and explained their rankings during follow-up interviews. By-person factor analysis of the data was conducted to identify common patterns in the statement rankings. Three distinct viewpoints in which various aspects were considered to be important were extracted: 1) a safe neighbourhood in which to stay socially active, 2) a supportive neighbourhood in which to stay independent and 3) a well-maintained neighbourhood with involved residents. These results suggest that not all older Surinamese adults in the Netherlands find the same neighbourhood resources to be important for the realisation of well-being.

This UK Q-Methodology study combining quantitative and qualitative techniques explores lecturers’ attitudes toward disability and inclusion of disabled higher education students. Disabled students are among those likelier to withdraw from university and have lower degree outcomes. One potential barrier impacting disabled students’ is lecturers’ attitudes and self-efficacy. Using Qmethod software, thirty-one lecturers sorted forty-five statements describing the spectrum of attitudes toward disability and inclusion and provided optional post-sort survey and interview data. Two stances about inclusion emerged from factor analysis and interpretation: cautiously committed with concerns and confidently committed with concerns. Both groups are committed to inclusion of disabled students. However, the majority group is more cautious and concerned about their expertise. The second group is more ableism aware and confident about implementing inclusion but shares group one’s concerns about training needs. Recommendations include further research and training on disability awareness and anti-ableist pedagogies plus allocation of time and resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative governance is increasingly being used as a solution to address climate change and deforestation in the tropics, but its stakeholders face numerous challenges in making it work. This study aims to understand stakeholders' perspectives on the challenges of collaborative governance, focusing on Sabah's jurisdictional approach. We applied the Q-methodology to derive the perspectives of the stakeholders involved. The results revealed three significant perspectives. The first perspective, "participant factors," highlighted that the representation of the 'right' stakeholders and the mandate to make decisions are inadequate. The second perspective, "non-progress in activities," suggests that the lack of accountability hampers the progress of the initiative. The third perspective, "shared understanding," reflects the stakeholders' inability to agree on a common goal. The consensus regarding the collaboration challenge is that the jurisdictional approach initiative is new, and nobody knows how to implement it, emphasizing the need for higher-level government commitment. This study reveals the challenges of collaborative governance in a jurisdictional approach by providing empirical evidence of the diverse perspectives of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aspiration to act in a more sustainable manner has become a guiding principle across many aspects of life. Yet sustainability is still often perceived as poorly defined, and there are diverse opinions on what the implications of sustainability for the everyday practice of geotechnical engineers are. Against this background, this paper presents a survey conducted at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute at the beginning of 2021 that engaged a group of geotechnical engineers with the fundamental question as to how the concept of sustainability relates to geotechnical engineering. The Q methodology, a mixed-method approach, was applied to analyse different perspectives on sustainability in geotechnical engineering as inferred from the survey results. Three distinct perspectives were revealed that have a focus on (a) striving a balance between human action and nature, (b) mitigating the adverse impacts of geotechnical projects and (c) reducing resource use. Two of the perspectives considered the development of sustainability assessment tools as the most relevant means of working towards sustainable geotechnical practices, while the third perspective considered multidisciplinary collaboration and research as more important. Reflection on these perspectives can help the development of future tools and strategies, provide a direction for future research and contribute to a more sustainable geotechnical engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether institutions of higher education in the Arab world have adopted approaches that promote linguistic sustainability. Specifically, we used Q methodology to explore 30 graduates' perceptions of whether the educational language policies in force during their tertiary education positively impacted their wellbeing after graduation. Based on their priorities, the graduates sorted 29 statements that articulated some of the social, cultural and economic impacts of their universities' educational language policies. The results show that graduates took four distinct positions, which were given labels representing their general sentiments: We deserved better, We wanted more, It was enough but not everything and We cannot complain. This study concludes that three main linguistic areas were neglected in these graduates' tertiary studies: language and identity, investment as a second language learning construct and parallellingualism. We maintain that higher education institutions could provide a more sustainable linguistic experience for Arab graduates by addressing these shortcomings, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Understanding the views and concerns of precision livestock farming (PLF) held by the key players in the US swine industry is particularly important for its widespread acceptability. Using a Q-methodology approach following initial individual in-depth interviews 6 months earlier, we found that while most stakeholders view PLF as good and beneficial to pigs and humans, some expressed concerns about its limitations and pitfalls. Specifically, stakeholders who are optimistic about PLF think it should augment but not replace effective management. They also think it will improve pig health, welfare, and make pig keepers' jobs simpler, safer, and better. However, stakeholders who are concerned about PLF view it as a poor proxy for farmers to keep an eye on the herd, see issues, and resolve them. They also believe PLF does little to lessen the negative effects of swine farming on the environment. We contend that competing perceived benefits and concerns about PLF may hinder widespread adoption. This study used the Q-methodology approach to analyze perceptions of precision livestock farming (PLF) technology held by stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in the US swine industry. To see if stakeholders' perceptions of PLF changed over time as PLF is a rapidly evolving field, we deliberately followed up with stakeholders we had interviewed 6 months earlier. We identified three distinct points of view: PLF improves farm management, animal welfare, and laborer work conditions; PLF does not solve swine industry problems; PLF has limitations and could lead to data ownership conflict. Stakeholders with in-depth knowledge of PLF technology demonstrated elevated levels of optimism about it, whereas those with a basic understanding were skeptical of PLF claims. Despite holding different PLF views, all stakeholders agreed on the significance of training to enhance PLF usefulness and its eventual adoption. In conclusion, we believe this study's results hold promise for helping US swine industry stakeholders make better-informed decisions about PLF technology implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous high-tech advancements have established a healthy environment, reduced consumer consumption of non-renewable resources, and reduced the total ecological impact on the environment. Despite this technology, many people still do not have sustainable behavior ingrained in them. Environmental sustainability is threatened by human behaviors, and environmental choices made by individuals are correlated with pro-environmental behaviors. This research focuses on the relationship between people and the environment, the difficulties that have arisen as a result, and the factors that influence university students' pro-environmental behaviors. It explores the factors influencing university students in the United Arab Emirates to have positive environmental attitudes and behaviors using the Q methodology. The results elucidate several discourses, including connections between knowledge and attitude, the importance of formal and informal education, and necessary economic policies and incentives. The results of this research are consistent with those of other recent studies that place more emphasis on attitude than motivation when it comes to changing behavior towards the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Many landscapes in sub‐Saharan Africa have undergone rapid changes, often with negative social and ecological impacts. Avoiding (or reversing) such negative impacts requires proactive landscape planning. Scenario planning, a participatory approach that generates narratives of plausible landscape change trajectories in the future, has been widely used to support landscape planning and decisions. However, not least because of challenges arising from group dynamics, few examples exist where backcasting—the collective envisioning of a desirable future landscape and the identification of pathways to reach that future—has been applied in landscape planning. In this study, building on past scenario planning work in southwestern Ethiopia, we begin to fill this empirical and methodological gap. Specifically, we used the Q‐methodology to elucidate stakeholders' divergent landscape aspirations in a case study in southwestern Ethiopia. Our results show that many stakeholders share a similar vision of building a future landscape that supports smallholder‐based development. However, details in the envisaged pathways differ between stakeholders. Three distinct pathways were prioritized by different stakeholders: (1) Agroecological production, (2) Coffee investment and (3) Intensive food crop production. Accounting for these divergent aspirations is important when taking further steps in landscape planning. We show how using the Q‐methodology as a subjective assessment of stakeholders' landscape priorities can facilitate the integration of backcasting within the normative process of landscape planning. Our approach thus helps navigate conflicting stakeholders' preferences and based on that, carefully plan collective action towards a shared landscape vision. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The aim of the study is to identify the sustainability attributes of hotels preferred by guests and to compare the preferences of Hungarian and Tunisian hotel guests highlighting the similarities and differences. We used Q method to show which of the hotels’ sustainability practices and attributes identified in the literature are the ones that are preferred by the guests. There were two samples: 15 Hungarian and 15 Tunisian guests. Three group of opinions were formed in both cases. The essential attributes are those that have emerged as a common point in both countries' opinion groups. The elements related to the social sustainability pillar play just a small important role among sustainability practices. It is important for a sustainable hotel not only to be environmentally responsible, but also to be holistically sustainable, so it is worth incorporating social considerations, if not as an essential element. For sustainable thinking hotels, it is worth addressing the issue of sustainability and responsibility at a strategic level.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) can occur when bystanders are present, and these bystanders may intervene to prevent the situation from worsening and assist the victims. Despite the importance of bystanders' roles and behaviors in relation to IPV incidents, as well as extensive research to understand and promote it, there have been relatively few studies aimed at understanding their reactions in non-Western populations. Moreover, bystanders' subjective opinions and thoughts have largely been neglected when predicting their intention to intervene. Therefore, the current study identified the types of bystanders in South Korea based on their subjective reactions when witnessing IPV incidents. Q-methodology was utilized. A Q-set comprising 31 statements describing the possible range of bystander reactions was constructed using a systematic review method. The 42 participants were asked to sort the Q-set based on their agreement and provide qualitative responses regarding the reasons behind their sorting. The data were analyzed using the PQMethod software. Consequently, three types of bystander groups were extracted based on the participants' sorting statement patterns: (1) hesitant helpers needing justification, (2) outsiders denouncing the couple, and (3) active interveners opposing the violence. Each type of bystander expressed different opinions and thoughts about bystander reactions and behaviors in IPV situations. However, participants frequently showed a willingness to intervene when they knew the victim personally and when the victim directly requested help. With our findings as a reference, we expect that various bystander programs with specified purposes will be developed to effectively increase the competency of diverse bystanders to maximize their roles in relation to IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, urbanization leads to increased pressure on prime agricultural land with irreversible impacts on the provision of life-supporting services such as food and drinking water production or habitat for plants and animals. As a basis for designing new policy instruments to protect soil resources, we applied Q-methodology to assess factors that influence the acceptance or rejection of such instruments. Using an online survey and interviews, we identified different social perspectives and their respective argumentation patterns. The results show that effect on people, institutional embeddedness, trust in the acting institutions, and the overall understanding of the instrument are the most important factors for the acceptance of policy instruments fostering the sustainable use of soil resources. During the interviews, idealistic and fact-based arguments were more important than person-based arguments. Based on our results, communication strategies in the policy-making process can be improved and tailored to the identified characteristics of the social perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning for age-friendly environments is an important issue, and occupational therapists and occupational scientists could contribute to planning such environments; however, knowledge of the potential roles of occupational therapists is limited. To explore the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan from the perspectives of occupational therapists and stakeholders. A Q-methodology study was conducted to gain viewpoints from occupational therapists and stakeholders regarding their roles in the urban planning of age-friendly environments for older people in Japan. Participants included eight occupational therapists and seven stakeholders who completed the Q-sorting process. Three viewpoints emerged which are interpreted as roles of occupational therapists: (1) Promote older people's participation in everyday activities in their communities, (2) Advocate for older people towards policy-making to reflect their occupational needs or perspectives, and (3) Arrange neighbourhood environments towards enhancing participation in occupation through adjustments to compensate for functional limitations. Results reveal the potential roles of occupational therapists in urban planning for age-friendly environments in Japan. These roles can be a guide in the continuing professional development of occupational therapists in the fields of urban planning for older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Mines are often home to many dangers with a high rate of accidents and occupational diseases. One of the most effective ways to prevent these adverse incidents is to identify and control the influential factors causing human error in design and the ensuing negative consequences. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore, categorize and prioritize factors affecting human errors in the mine design process. METHODS: The study has a mixed-method design combining qualitative and quantitative data. In the qualitative phase, the required data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 surface mine designers. The causes of errors were extracted and categorized by the latent content analysis using MAXQDA2022 software. The identified causes in the qualitative phase were sent to expert designers in Q tables, and the data were analyzed by factor analysis. RESULTS: Of the identified codes in the qualitative phase, 40 main themes in five different categories (individual, organizational, external, task, and environmental factors) were determined as causes. The results of the quantitative phase suggest the existence of four different mental patterns regarding the causes of design errors (DEs). The data analysis also shows that organizational and personal factors, particularly supervision and inspection, experience, and technical knowledge, were the strongest causes of DEs and environmental (hotness, coldness, indoor air quality, and noise) and external (work-family conflict) factors being the weakest ones. CONCLUSION: This study not only identifies and categorizes the causes of design errors in the mining industry but also suggests some control strategies for these errors based on the mental patterns of the experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is altering the context of human mobility due to disasters such as sea-level rise, forest fires, and other extreme events. It is also changing how places plan and adapt to these chaotic events. In this paper we examine how climate destinations, or host communities, are preparing for potential climate related in-migration in their climate adaptation planning. While no place will be left untouched by climate change, a number of cities and communities across Upstate New York consider themselves "climate havens" due to their lower risk to many climate impacts, such as sea level rise, access to freshwater resources, and infrastructure to accommodate growth. Within this context, what does it mean to plan a just climate haven? What types of policy and planning might be needed? How are planners and practitioners framing adaptation approaches? Using Q-methodology, we reveal two dominant perspectives among planners and activists in Upstate New York on how to plan just climate havens. The first is a transformational view that looks to address the social, political, and economic drivers of vulnerability. The second is a recognition view that looks to address legal and legislative shortcomings in how to support climate migrants. Points of consensus on how to build just climate havens between the two groups include co-production and co-design, workforce development, food security, and safe and affordable housing. We suggest that these two perspectives frame justice in two distinct—but overlapping—ways and provide a shared basis on how to consider planning a just climate haven. • Two perspectives frame how to plan just climate havens: Transformation and Recognition. • Perspectives unite around workforce development, food security, housing, and co-produced solutions, and material gains. • Climate destinations in Central New York need to build capacity to plan and adapt to future climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Career selection in medicine is a complex and underexplored process. Most medical career studies performed in the U.S. focused on the effect of demographic variables and medical education debt on career choice. Considering ongoing U.S. physician workforce shortages and the trilateral adaptive model of career decision making, a robust assessment of professional attitudes and work-life preferences is necessary. The objective of this study was to explore and define the dominant viewpoints related to career choice selection in a cohort of U.S. IM residents. We administered an electronic Q-sort in which 218 IM residents sorted 50 statements reflecting the spectrum of opinions that influence postgraduate career choice decisions. Participants provided comments that explained the reasoning behind their individual responses. In the final year of residency training, we ascertained participating residents' chosen career. Factor analysis grouped similar sorts and revealed four distinct viewpoints. We characterized the viewpoints as "Fellowship-Bound-Academic," "Altruistic-Longitudinal-Generalist," "Inpatient-Burnout-Aware," and "Lifestyle-Focused-Consultant." There is concordance between residents who loaded significantly onto a viewpoint and their ultimate career choice. Four dominant career choice viewpoints were found among contemporary U.S. IM residents. These viewpoints reflect the intersection of competing priorities, personal interests, professional identity, socio-economic factors, and work/life satisfaction. Better appreciation of determinants of IM residents' career choices may help address workforce shortages and enhance professional satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pursuant to pedagogical changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study was designed to determine which aspects of an online anatomy course students most preferred and most disliked using Q-methodology. Data were collected in fall 2020 and winter 2021, and 166 student responses were analyzed via by-person factor analysis. Three distinct subgroups were identified: Group 1 (n=66) reported being comfortable with the technology skills required for studying anatomy online; Group 2 (n=50) reported dissatisfaction with several elements of course delivery, including evaluations, laboratory assignments, and the amount of lecture content, believing that they were essentially “teaching [themselves]”; Group 3 (n=29) was characterized by being happy with tutorial activities and the guidance received from teaching assistants. Common to all groups was the preference for physical rather than virtual specimens and for faculty-made practice questions as opposed to the overwhelming number of online specimens available for review. There was an overall positive attitude shift among students regarding online delivery across semesters. Given ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, these findings provide important considerations for future potential online/blended classes on anatomy education.

Rice farming is the dominating agriculture activity in the Mekong Delta and has been of significant importance for the region's economic development, but it has also had an impact on the environment. Recent governmental policies emphasize the need for sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture; however, policy reforms pushing for transformation towards sustainable socio-agricultural systems are compounded by a lack of coherent and shared visions. Gaps between policy making and implementation and stakeholders' divergent visions of what is meant by sustainable agriculture and how that can be achieved hinder progress. To address this, the Q-methodology was used to elucidate and integrate different perspectives from 41 stakeholders on 35 statements related to agriculture developments in the Mekong Delta. Under the theoretical lens of sustainability, and ecosystem services, the results unveiled four major development schemes, namely production through intensification, sustainable intensification, production through nature, and people and nature in balance. The majority of the stakeholders in this study believed that future agriculture strategies in the Mekong Delta should be designed to promote more diverse and integrated farming methods, emphasizing the environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development. They acknowledged the multifunctional benefits of rice field ecosystems and emphasized the importance of supporting, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services for a long-term and healthy production of food and increased resilience of the Delta's social-ecological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastronomy is considered a vital resource and is a key component of a memorable tourism experience. Some studies have explored memorable gastronomic experience (MGE) but have been unable to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic. The purpose of this research is to advance knowledge in relation to MGE. The Q-methodology of research synthesis (QMRS) was applied to identify MGE dimensions and support qualitative and quantitative approaches within the research process. The findings of the study contribute to a greater understanding of MGE by providing a conceptual model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A competency gap can be detected between the expectations of employers and the actual competencies of graduate students. Therefore, it is essential that degree programmes are based on the analysis of the competency expectations of the labour market. The study aims to assess and compare the key competencies of Human Resources bachelor educational programme requirements and employers’ expectations. The competency requirements of the labour market were mapped by analysing job adverts and by focus group interviews. The Q-methodology analysis ranked the importance of the listed competencies. A significant gap was detected between employers’ expectations and educational requirements in the case of knowledge-based competencies; similar gaps were also revealed in certain ability- and attitude-based competencies, such as assertive communication, time management, empathy and openness. The results can assist decision-makers in developing competency-based degree programmes that are better aligned with labour market expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focus attention on technology encourages multidirectional studies about the topic. Understanding personal motivations and approaches to accepting new technologies offers a significant contribution to the social knowledge base of technology management. The paper shows a pilot experiment about the Technology Adoption Propensity model. Q-methodology was used to rank the model’s statements among higher education students. The results of the pilot sample explored five opinion groups, presenting a more nuanced picture of optimism, proficiency, dependence, and vulnerability of the respondents than a typical index calculation. Q-methodology can be suggested as a supplementary analysis of technology adoption propensity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy distribution justice is of primary concern within the energy justice framework and it is crucial to increase public acceptance of offshore wind energy and further advance its development. The rapid development of offshore wind energy in China has inevitably impacted the livelihoods of coastal vulnerable groups (CVGs) engaged in fisheries and tourism in the coastal zone. While current policies often compensate for livelihood losses through cash payments, the fiscal strain caused by COVID-19 renders this approach unsustainable. Consequently, this research pioneers the exploration of Chinese tourist groups’ landscape preferences towards offshore wind farms (OWFs). This study proposes a new approach to enhance OWF landscapes for tourism development, thereby balancing the distribution of costs and benefits between CVGs and tourists. The research focuses on Beihai City in the Beibu Gulf Economic Region, utilizing a combination of Q-methodology and choice experiments that incorporates cut-offs. Answers to eighty Q-methodology questionnaires and 1324 choice experiment questionnaires are obtained. The findings indicate that this region can achieve energy distribution justice by compensating for the livelihood losses of CVGs through tourism. Contrary to traditional assumptions about wind farm noise preferences, Chinese tourists prefer proximity to OWFs, as an appropriate coastal acoustics landscape can enhance their tourism experience. In light of these findings, this paper presents policy recommendations towards energy distribution justice.

Israel has set ambitious goals in terms of the widespread adoption of desalination and water recycling technologies. Policymakers in Israel consider these technologies as the key to improve urban water security but knowledge of stakeholder views on this policy approach is not well established. We deployed the Q-methodology, a qualitative–quantitative approach, to empirically determine social perspectives on desalination and water recycling across a wide range of stakeholders in the Israeli water sector. We identified the following four distinctive social perspectives: (1) desalination should be the option of last resort; (2) desalination is moving us to an infinite resource; (3) equating savings to resources is a dangerous illusion; and (4) desalination is (risky) electric water. A common characteristic of these perspectives is the belief that desalination is necessary for a water-secure country, but desalination should not be the only source of drinking water in Israel. Our findings indicate that Israeli stakeholders show complex and contingent understandings of the pros and cons of desalination and water recycling and the risks involved in too much reliance on a limited number of water sources. We discuss the potential implications of our findings for water management and security in Israel and other places with water scarcity concerns. HIGHLIGHTS Using the Q-method, we identified four social perspectives on desalination and water recycling in Israel.; Stakeholders believe that desalination provides water security, but it should not be the only water source.; Stakeholders focus on the positive and negative aspects of water practices.; The link between desalination and peace was a point of contention.; Israeli stakeholders understand the pros and cons of desalination and water recycling.;

Abstract Background Cancer patients are often hesitant to talk about their mental health, religious beliefs regarding the disease, and financial issues that drain them physically and psychologically. But there is a need to break this taboo to understand the perceptions and behaviours of the patients. Previous studies identified many psychological factors that are bothering cancer patients. However, it still requires exploring new elements affecting their mental and physical health and introducing new coping strategies to address patients’ concerns. Methods The current study aims to identify cancer patients’ perceived attitudes towards the severity of illness, understand their fears, tend towards religion to overcome the disease, and future financial planning by using a Q-methodological approach. Data were collected in three steps from January-June 2020, and 51 cancer patients participated in the final stage of Q-sorting. Results The findings of the study are based on the principal component factor analysis that highlighted three essential factors: (1) feelings, (2) religious beliefs about the acceptance of death, and (3) their future personal and financial planning. Further, the analysis shows that the patients differ in their beliefs, causes and support that they received as a coping mechanism. Conclusion This study explains cancer patients’ psychological discomfort and physical pain but cannot relate it to co-morbidities. Q methodology allows the contextualization of their thoughts and future planning in different sets, like acceptance of death, combating religion’s help, and sharing experiences through various platforms. This study will help health professionals derive new coping strategies for treating patients and financial managers to design insurance policies that help them to share their financial burdens.

Abstract Background The Netherlands hosts, as many other European countries, three population-based cancer screening programmes (CSPs). The overall uptake among these CSPs is high, but has decreased over recent years. Especially in highly urbanized regions the uptake rates tend to fall below the minimal effective rate of 70% set by the World Health Organization. Understanding the reasons underlying the decision of citizens to partake in a CPS are essential in order to optimize the current screening participation rates. The aim of this study was to explore the various perspectives concerning cancer screening among inhabitants of The Hague, a highly urbanized region of the Netherlands. Methods A Q-methodology study was conducted to provide insight in the prevailing perspectives on partaking in CSPs. All respondents were inhabitants of the city of The Hague, the Netherlands. In an online application they ranked a set of 31 statements, based on the current available literature and clustered by the Integrated Change model, into a 9-column forced ranking grid according to level of agreement, followed by a short survey. Respondents were asked to participate in a subsequent interview to explain their ranking. By-person factor analysis was used to identify distinct perspectives, which were interpreted using data from the rankings and interviews. Results Three distinct perspectives were identified: 1). “Positive about participation”, 2). “Thoughtful about participation”, and 3). “Fear drives participation”. These perspectives provide insight into how potential respondents, living in an urbanized region in the Netherlands, decide upon partaking in CSPs. Conclusions Since CSPs will only be effective when participation rates are sufficiently high, it is essential to have insight into the different perspectives among potential respondents concerning partaking in a CSP. This study adds new insights concerning these perspectives and suggests several ideas for future optimization of the CSPs.

PURPOSE This study aimed to categorize consumers’ subjectivity on public value of citizen professional football club. METHODS Q-sample and Q-classification charts were developed based on theoretical background of the public value of citizen football clubs, and in-depth interviews with consumers were conducted using the Q-methodology. Q-classification and Q-factor analyses were conducted by selecting local residents as P-samples. RESULTS The public value of citizen football clubs was confirmed as ‘Type I: club-city win-win’, ‘Type II: social integration’, and ‘Type III: culture-led’. These types are contrary to previous studies that mainly focused on management and marketing, such as financial profitability and soundness, regional economic impact, and commercial value. This is the result of examining the public value of the citizen football club from based on the subjectivity of consumer, and it differs from that in previous studies. CONCLUSIONS This study reconfirmed the specificity and role of citizen football clubs in commercialized professional sports. It showed that citizen clubs must adopt organizational goal and operation method that are different from profit sports organizations (clubs).

IntroductionDivorce is a contributor to family instability within sub-Saharan Africa, and specifically within Namibia, an increasing number of children are exposed to its impact. However, not all children react uniformly to the impact of parental divorce, and many children may be resilient. Understanding what promotes resilience in children post-divorce in African contexts is vital, given the unique socio-cultural context. Therefore, this study aimed to understand how some children are capable of resilience despite exposure to parental divorce in Namibia.MethodsA multiple case study design was employed to assess the lived experiences of children aged 9–12 post-parental divorce in Windhoek. Using the Child and Youth Resilience Measurement (CYRM-12) scale, 24 children exposed to parental divorce were screened for resiliency. The Q-Methodology, with visual material, was utilized with a sub-sample of 12 children who scored high on the CYRM (50% girls, mean age = 11) to eliminate some of the challenges associated with gathering qualitative data from younger children. The PQ Method 2.35 software program was used for data analysis.ResultsBy-person factor analysis identified four statistically significant profiles. A third (33%) of participants loaded on a factor emphasizing “quality parent-child relationships” and a further 33% emphasizing “effective parent conflict resolution.” The final two factors emphasized “healthy school attachment” (17%) and “strong community attachment” (17%). All children emphasized a stable, loving familial environment, and frequent visitation with the non-custodial father.DiscussionOur findings suggest that multiple social ecologies nurture resilience in children exposed to parental divorce in Namibia. Support should be extended beyond the perimeters of the nuclear family, and relationships with extended family members, peer groups, school, and the wider community can play an important role in children's adjustment. The study highlights the importance of contextually grounded resilience as some factors that are emphasized for children from more Western communities do not reflect as strongly in the results of this study. Other factors, including a stronger reliance on community and factors such as the school, peers, and extended family members, may play a bigger role in child resilience post-divorce in Namibia.

Abstract Background Childhood disability remains a lowly prioritized and funded international health concern in the world today. Exacerbated by poverty, a lack of bureaucratic support, and societal discrimination, rehabilitation services are not readily accessible for Filipino families who happen to have a child with disability. This article intends to determine the perceived barriers of Filipino service users when it comes to accessing rehabilitation services for children with special needs in Cagayan de Oro City and to propose suggestions to improve the access to rehabilitation services from an international health perspective. Methods The study utilized the four‐phased Q methodology, a mixed‐method research design with an exploratory sequential approach: (1) creating and validating the Q‐sort statements, (2) Q‐sorting administration, (3) factor analysis, and (4) interpreting factors. Results After going through the four phases of Q methodology, the following factors, called “viewpoints” emerged: systemic discrimination based on differences in culture and ethnicity (Viewpoint 1), socioeconomic factors such as affordability and accessibility (Viewpoint 2), and predisposed health beliefs and lack of trust to health professionals (Viewpoint 3). Discussion Barriers to accessing rehabilitation services in the Philippines go beyond the lack of individual resources. These perceived barriers can be mitigated by employing participatory and collaborative approaches in developing rehabilitation programs for children and their families, viable strategies such as integrating telehealth in the rehabilitation process, and cultural competence in recognizing folkloric beliefs as a way to build trust toward health‐care professionals. Conclusion This article determined contextualized barriers when accessing health and rehabilitation services based on service users themselves, which in turn hopes to promote inclusive, justice‐oriented, and culturally focused rehabilitation services underpinned by international health principles.

As US‐China competition intensifies in East Asia, the USA and Japan are strengthening military bases and training in and around Okinawa. As a result, the Okinawan people worry that Okinawa might again become a battlefield as in World War II. Opposition to military bases is increasing, as is discussion of the dispute over US military bases in host countries. Earlier research suggests that the stability of base politics in Okinawa was achieved because of Japanese compensation politics and Okinawa's unique history and environment. However, some factors and methodological aspects of the issue have been neglected, which this study explores. This study applies the Q methodology in an examination of the survey we conducted with scholars studying the US military base in Okinawa and local government officials to identify the multiple essential factors of stabilizing US base politics in Okinawa: real politics for financial compensation, historical traces and real difficulties, Tokyo's strategic games with multilevel local governments, and Asia‐Pacific security and Okinawa's responsibility. Our findings offer new theoretical insights into the studies on base politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many landscapes in sub‐Saharan Africa have undergone rapid changes, often with negative social and ecological impacts. Avoiding (or reversing) such negative impacts requires proactive landscape planning. Scenario planning, a participatory approach that generates narratives of plausible landscape change trajectories in the future, has been widely used to support landscape planning and decisions. However, not least because of challenges arising from group dynamics, few examples exist where backcasting—the collective envisioning of a desirable future landscape and the identification of pathways to reach that future—has been applied in landscape planning.In this study, building on past scenario planning work in southwestern Ethiopia, we begin to fill this empirical and methodological gap. Specifically, we used the Q‐methodology to elucidate stakeholders' divergent landscape aspirations in a case study in southwestern Ethiopia.Our results show that many stakeholders share a similar vision of building a future landscape that supports smallholder‐based development. However, details in the envisaged pathways differ between stakeholders. Three distinct pathways were prioritized by different stakeholders: (1) Agroecological production, (2) Coffee investment and (3) Intensive food crop production. Accounting for these divergent aspirations is important when taking further steps in landscape planning.We show how using the Q‐methodology as a subjective assessment of stakeholders' landscape priorities can facilitate the integration of backcasting within the normative process of landscape planning. Our approach thus helps navigate conflicting stakeholders' preferences and based on that, carefully plan collective action towards a shared landscape vision. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the year 2050, 67% of the global population will be living in cities where water demand is projected to outstrip supply. This shortage calls for identifying ways through which urban residents and commercial interests can adapt to water stress. As commercial buildings contribute significantly to water consumption in cities, building facilities managers (BFMs) have a significant role in formulation and implementation of the adaptation approaches. Their perceptions of alternative water sources, including reclaimed water, are, therefore, important. In this study, the perceptions of 40 BFMs on reclaimed water use in buildings were analyzed using Q‐methodology. Analysis correlated the responses of different people, factoring out the groups of people who hold similar viewpoints. Results showed that participants could be categorized under four factors. Participants in Factor 1 perceived reclaimed water as being healthy and a worthy investment. Those in Factor 2, however, had negative perceptions and did not trust local governments to appropriately manage the treatment process, thus presenting health concerns. They also found reclaimed water repulsive. Participants in Factor 3 were also less willing to adopt reclaimed water, but felt that its use for non‐potable purposes would be acceptable. The final group, those in Factor 4 focused more on the cost efficiency and sustainability of reclaimed water, finding it acceptable on those grounds. However, they thought that decisions on its use should be the building owners' prerogative rather than the BFMs. The implications of these findings with respect to encouraging reclaimed water use in commercial office buildings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning is becoming increasingly important in environmental decision-making, particularly in forestry. While forest-owner typologies help in understanding private forest management strategies, they often overlook owners' relationships with technology. This is crucial for ensuring that data-driven advancements in forestry benefit society. Using Swedish forestry policy as a case, we applied Q-methodology to explore forest owners' perceptions of machine learning. We conducted 11 qualitative interviews to generate 33 statements , which were then ranked by 26 participants. Inverted factor analysis identified four ideal-type perceptions of machine learning, interpreted through self-determination theory. The first perception views machine learning as unhelpful and socially disruptive. The second sees it as a complement to forest governance. The third expresses no strong opinions reflecting a relative disengagement from forestry. The fourth considers it essential for decision-making, particularly for absentee forest owners. The extracted perceptions align with existing forest owner typologies when it comes to reliance on others and willingness to take advice. The discussion includes concrete policy recommendations, focusing on privacy concerns, educational initiatives, and strategies for communicating uncertainty. • Novel and systematic way of understanding forest owners' perceptions of machine learning in forestry. • This is one way for how forest owner-typologies can engage better with technology. • Results show that there exists a multitude of different skepticisms towards machine learning among affected stakeholders. • Understanding the different skepticism(s) is important for attaining policy goals with the technology in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Palliative wound care is important for stability in terminal care. It addresses both the physical and psychological needs of patients and facilitates other aspects of terminal care. Appropriate competencies of nurses regarding palliative wound care can improve patient outcomes and raise their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to identify how wound care nurses structure the subjective frames regarding palliative wound care. Method This study utilized Q-methodology to analyze their subjective viewpoints. Forty nurses experienced in palliative wound care were asked to completely classify 35 Q-statements into a normal distribution shape. The PQ-Method program was used to conduct principal factor analysis and varimax rotation for data analysis. Results This study revealed 4 Q-factors of palliative wound care: “Focusing on care within the boundary of current patient demands,” “Comparing continuously the priorities on wound healing and disease care,” “Preparing and preventing from worsening via tracking care in advance,” and “Moving forward with a clear direction by confronting the declining condition.” Conclusion We hope that the results of this study are used in the development of nursing education that reflects professional perspectives of palliative wound care, thus helping to improve nursing competencies in palliative care.

Nature conservation begins with detailed knowledge of the ecosystem based on inventories and maps. A difficult part of the conservation process subsequently starts, namely, the design of an action plan that achieves the desired protection outcome. As both funding and time are limited, conservation is subject to difficult trade-offs among competing land uses. We present a novel approach based on the Q-method to support local stakeholders that go beyond its usual use in assisting decision-making. We suggest a new usage of the Q-method: a tool to support conservation action prioritization. Our results indicate that the Q-method has valuable attributes, as (1) it encourages individual reflection on one’s own priorities; (2) it identifies different prioritization patterns among respondents; (3) it provides input to later collective discussions, ultimately contributing to establishing consensus; (4) it brings additional arguments to conservation planners based on the latter’s declared priorities. Overall, this use of Q-method can help stakeholders prioritize conservation actions, a crucial step toward achieving ecologically and socially robust conservation action plan.