The EAA Education Committee is glad to announce a new education event titled: “Q methodology for teaching and learning”

When: 30^th March, 2.00-3.30 CET

Overview:

Imagine if you could construct discussion groups for students in which they were specifically selected to participate because they held conflicting views. How might that affect student participation? What if you could identify and assess different learning profiles amongst your students? Would that change the way you deliver your course?

Q methodology (Q) was developed by William Stephenson in the 1930s to systematically study subjective perspectives on complex and contentious issues. While its use in accounting research remains limited, Q offers a robust framework for structuring and analysing divergent viewpoints around complex and politically contentious issues. In this session, I draw on insights from my own work (Sorola, 2021; 2025) and knowledge of Q literature (Rieber, 2023) to discuss pedagogical applications of Q in the classroom.

Objectives:

In this session, we aim to:

• Provide a brief introduction to Q, the Q sorting process and analysis of results
• Identify current applications of Q in the classroom
• Discuss challenges and pitfalls in conducting Q studies
• Reflect on future applications of Q in the classroom, including the application of LLMs

Presenter: Matthew Sorola, Toulouse Business School

Session Chair: Joan Ballantine, Ulster University

Register here

Bio:

Matthew Sorola is an Associate Professor of Accounting at Toulouse Business School. Matthew’s research explores Critical Dialogic Accounting and Accountability, with a focus on agonistic participatory governance and engagement processes, particularly through the lens of minipublics. His work seeks to bridge theory and practice, interrogating how accounting and accountability can better serve democratic and inclusive governance. Matthew is an executive member of the Centre for Social and Environmental Research (CSEAR) and the current Head of the Research LAB in the Accounting, Auditing and Control Department at TBS Education.

Useful Material:

Rieber, L. P. (2023). Q pedagogy: Bringing students’ subjectivity into the design of instruction. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 14(2), 87-97.

Sorola, M. (2022). Q methodology to conduct a critical study in accounting: AQ study on accountants’ perspectives of social and environmental reporting. Critical perspectives on accounting, 86, 102355.

Sorola, M. (2025). On Agonistic Mini‐Publics for Participatory Governance: Reading Agonism as Conflict Regulation in the SER Dialogue. Financial Accountability & Management, 41(4), 672-692.