Delphi: a technique to harness expert opinion for critical decision‐making tasks in education

Abstract Expert rather than general or informal opinion is often sought in the development of educational policy. Decisions to be made regarding best practice, the most effective way to deliver services, issues dealing with the professional development of teachers and the distribution of limited educational resources are examples which require critical thinking and reasoning. Regardless of the nature of the task, complex decision‐making is rarely left to the remit of one person and there is usually an assumption made that ‘two heads are better than one’. The organisational requirements of collecting, analysing, refining and validating critical information can be a long, arduous and often tedious process‐‐a process which can often be overlooked, resulting in ill‐defined, poorly conceived, biased and invalid determinations. The conventional Delphi procedure offers decision‐makers a user‐friendly, rigorous and systematic strategy in the collection and dissemination of critical information. This paper reviews...

[1]  J. F. Anderson,et al.  Questionnaires: Design and Use , 1974 .

[2]  Meredith D. Gall,et al.  Educational Research: An Introduction , 1965 .

[3]  Floyd J. Fowler,et al.  Survey Research Methods , 1984 .

[4]  Donelson R. Forsyth,et al.  Group dynamics, 2nd ed. , 1990 .

[5]  T. A. Nosanchuk,et al.  The vignette as an experimental approach to the study of social status: An exploratory study , 1972 .

[6]  C. Smith.  National Issues and Concerns in Marketing Teacher Education. , 1992 .

[7]  N. Dalkey,et al.  An Experimental Application of the Delphi Method to the Use of Experts , 1963 .

[8]  M. E. Hartley.  The development of module evaluation: a Delphi approach. , 1995, Nurse education today.

[9]  W. Leirman.  Euro‐Delphi: a comparative study on the future of adult education in 14 countries between 1993 and 1995 , 1996 .

[10]  K. Volk.  Curriculum Development Using the Delphi Technique. , 1993 .

[11]  J. Putnam,et al.  Future Directions in Education and Inclusion of Students with Disabilities: A Delphi Investigation , 1995 .

[12]  B. Handen,et al.  Validation of a Competency-Based Training Program in Developmental Disabilities , 1982 .

[13]  A. V. D. Ven,et al.  Group Techniques for Program Planning , 1975 .

[14]  H. Becker,et al.  The Use of Vignettes in Survey Research , 1978 .

[15]  Robert L. Carpenter,et al.  Emotional Disturbance/Behavioral Disorders and a Delphic Approach to the Future , 1985 .

[16]  Earl R. Babbie,et al.  Survey Research Methods , 1984 .

[17]  A. Rasp.  Delphi: A Decision-Maker's Dream. , 1973 .

[18]  R. F. McMorris,et al.  Relating a test for teachers to research literature on teaching effectiveness , 1991 .

[19]  Murray Turoff,et al.  The Delphi Method: Techniques and Applications , 1976 .

[20]  Simon Veenman,et al.  Features of Effective In‐service Activities: results of a Delphi‐study , 1988 .

[21]  T. Newcomb,et al.  The Impact of College on Students , 2020 .

[22]  Gene V. Glass,et al.  Research and Evaluation in Education and the Social Sciences , 1986 .

[23]  Michael T. Miller,et al.  Strategies for Improving Instructional Delivery in Distance Education Programs. , 1994 .

[24]  Ben Spencer‐Cooke.  Conditions of Participation in Rural, Non‐Formal Education Programmes: A Delphi Study , 1989 .

[25]  Eleanor C. Main,et al.  Choice Shifts In Political Decisionmaking: Federal Judges and Civil Liberties Cases , 1973 .

[26]  C. Moore.  Group Techniques for Idea Building , 1987 .

[27]  Gail Hickey.  Goals for Gifted Programs: Perceptions of Interested Groups , 1988 .

[28]  Lawrence R. Jauch,et al.  Curriculum development through Delphi , 1978 .

[29]  Franz Klutschkowski,et al.  Components for a Substance Abuse Counselor Education Curriculum: A Delphi Study. , 1995 .

[30]  Karen L. Murphy,et al.  Competencies for distance education professionals , 1995 .

[31]  Frederick R. Cyphert,et al.  The Delphi Technique: A Tool for Collecting Opinions in Teacher Education , 1970 .

[32]  R M Grimes,et al.  Development of indices of effectiveness: a quantification of the accrediting process. , 1984, Journal of allied health.

[33]  Norman P. Uhl,et al.  Using the Delphi Method to Improve the Curriculum , 1993 .

[34]  Ronald D. Simpson,et al.  Validating teaching competencies for faculty members in higher education: A national study using the Delphi method , 1995 .

[35]  Simon Hakim,et al.  The Delphi process as a tool for decision making: The case of vocational training of people with handicaps☆ , 1993 .

[36]  John G. Wells.  Establishing a Taxonometric Structure for the Study of Biotechnology in Secondary School Technology Education , 1994 .

[37]  J. Putnam,et al.  Future Directions in Deinstitutionalization and Education: A Delphi Investigation , 1986, Exceptional children.

[38]  Arlene Hartman.  Reaching Consensus Using the Delphi Technique. , 1981 .