Designing a Delphi questionnaire for elementary school teachers

 

Designing a Delphi questionnaire for elementary school teachers involves careful planning to ensure that expert opinions are gathered systematically and refined over multiple rounds. Here's a step-by-step guide tailored to your context:

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🎯 Purpose Clarification

Start by defining the main objective of your Delphi study.
Example: To identify key competencies elementary school teachers need for effective online teaching.

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🧩 Step-by-Step Design

1. Panel Selection (Experts)

• Choose elementary school teachers with:

  • At least 5 years of teaching experience.

  • Involvement in curriculum development or teacher training (if possible).

  • A range of geographic locations or school types (public/private) for diversity.

2. Round 1 – Open-ended Questionnaire

• Purpose: Explore broad opinions.

• Format: Open-ended questions to gather qualitative data.

• Sample questions:

  • “What are the most important skills an elementary school teacher should have today?”

  • “What challenges do you face in implementing innovative teaching methods?”

  • “What professional development topics do you find most useful?”

Tips: Keep it concise and easy to understand for busy teachers.

3. Data Analysis After Round 1

• Use thematic analysis or content analysis to identify key themes or categories.

• Group similar responses to create items for the next round.

4. Round 2 – Structured Questionnaire

• Purpose: Get consensus on themes.

• Format: Likert-scale or ranking questions.

  • Example: “Rate the importance of the following competencies on a scale of 1 (not important) to 5 (very important).”

• Include an optional comment field for clarification.

5. Data Analysis After Round 2

• Calculate measures like median, mean, interquartile range (IQR) for consensus.

• Decide on a cut-off point for consensus (e.g., 75% agreement).

6. Round 3 – Feedback and Re-rating

• Purpose: Confirm or refine consensus.

• Format: Present summarized group responses from Round 2 and ask participants to re-rate.

  • Example: “In Round 2, 80% rated this item as ‘very important.’ Do you agree with this rating?”

• Option to keep or revise responses based on feedback.

7. (Optional) Round 4

• Only if needed, to clarify unclear areas or finalize a priority list.

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✅ Design Tips

• Keep language simple and jargon-free.

• Pilot your questionnaire with 1–2 teachers if possible.

• Use online tools (e.g., Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics) for easy access and analysis.

• Ensure anonymity to reduce bias.

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🧠 Sample Study Ideas (Elementary Teachers)

• Identifying essential 21st-century teaching skills.

• Prioritizing inclusive education strategies.

• Developing effective literacy programs.

• Integrating technology into early education.