Abstract

Combining Q-methodology with focus groups offers a novel opportunity to explore how researchers and managers can collectively address natural resource management issues. We explored the potential utility of this pairing for prioritizing long-term vegetation recovery research needs after wildfire at a two-day workshop. The approach entailed individual Q-sort activities, followed by focus group discussion about differences and similarities in Q-sort outcomes between managers and researchers. We found that Q-methodology was a versatile discussion tool that offered opportunities for building shared definitions of management issues and identifying new pathways for collaboration between diverse participants. Group discussion around research needs also fostered opportunities for identifying organizational barriers and fostering partnerships to overcome them. Collecting social data on research needs prior to designing or conducting data collection efforts can help ensure that outputs have practical value and utility for land management.

Study Implications

Establishing shared research priorities between researchers and managers is one way to ensure that scientific advancements have practical applications. Using outputs from Q-sort activities as a prompt to initiate discussion between researchers and managers is an effective technique for understanding divergent prioritizations, identifying organizational and scientific barriers, and establishing feasible next steps for collective action to produce application-oriented research. Employing mixed-method social data collection early in the land management planning process is increasingly valuable; many recent policies for forest and natural resource management require the incorporation of collaborative components.

中文翻译：

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优先考虑自然资源中的研究需求：使用Q方法作为焦点小组讨论工具

摘要

将Q方法与焦点小组相结合，为探索研究人员和管理人员如何共同解决自然资源管理问题提供了新的机会。在为期两天的研讨会上，我们探讨了这种配对在优先考虑野火后长期植被恢复研究需求方面的潜在用途。该方法需要进行个体Q-sort活动，然后由焦点小组讨论管理者和研究者之间Q-sort结果的差异和相似之处。我们发现，Q方法是一种通用的讨论工具，为建立共享的管理问题定义和确定不同参与者之间协作的新途径提供了机会。围绕研究需求的小组讨论也为发现组织障碍和建立伙伴关系克服障碍提供了机会。在设计或进行数据收集工作之前收集有关研究需求的社会数据可以帮助确保产出对土地管理具有实用价值和实用性。

研究意义

在研究人员和管理人员之间建立共同的研究重点是确保科学进步具有实际应用的一种方法。利用Q-sort活动的输出作为提示，促使研究人员和管理人员之间进行讨论，这是一种有效的技术，可用于理解不同的优先级，确定组织和科学障碍以及为采取集体行动以开展面向应用的研究建立可行的后续步骤。在土地管理规划过程的早期采用混合方法的社会数据收集越来越有价值；许多有关森林和自然资源管理的最新政策都要求纳入协作组件。