Realist evaluation and Q methodology are established approaches in social science. However, integration of Q methodology within a realist evaluation is scarce. This article attempts to illustrate (through a recent evaluation) how Q methodology can support a realist evaluation. The article attempts to capture the philosophical compatibility of the two approaches creating an argument for Q’s integration within realist evaluation. Through the case study selected (a realist evaluation of an evaluation capacity building framework), the iterative methodological process is presented, capturing a snapshot of the findings from the evaluation. This illuminates how Q met the philosophical aims of a realist evaluation to make sense of how, why and under what circumstances a programme or intervention works. It is argued that Q methodology is entirely suitable for capturing the three key stages in a realist evaluation of developing, testing and refining programme theory. It is intended that this article can contribute to inspire other realist evaluators and methodologists to make use of Q as a tool in their evaluation.

中文翻译：

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在现实主义评估中调动 Q 方法论：实证研究的经验教训

现实主义评估和 Q 方法论是社会科学中的既定方法。然而，在现实主义评估中整合 Q 方法论是很少的。本文试图说明（通过最近的评估）Q 方法如何支持现实主义的评估。这篇文章试图捕捉这两种方法的哲学兼容性，从而为 Q 在现实主义评估中的整合创造了一个论点。通过选择的案例研究（评估能力建设框架的现实评估），介绍了迭代方法过程，捕捉评估结果的快照。这阐明了 Q 如何满足现实主义评估的哲学目标，以了解计划或干预如何、为什么以及在什么情况下起作用。有人认为，Q 方法论完全适用于在对开发、测试和改进程序理论的现实评估中捕获三个关键阶段。本文旨在启发其他现实主义评估者和方法论者将 Q 用作评估工具。