Un A study on the psychological distance between educational research methods. The case of the Delphi method

Abstract

The investigation explores the perceived psychological distance between educational research methods. The first experimental results of the application of an instrument to 51 researchers are presented, where they express their level of knowledge about 22 selected methods, as well as the respective positioning on a qualitative/quantitative continuum and another empirical/theoretical one. The study focuses on the Delphi method, considering its special characteristics, where qualitative and quantitative information is processed, empirical instruments such as the structured survey are combined, and statistical methods are implemented to analyze the results. The investigation reveals that the perception of the Delphi method is like that of the mixed methods; it is diametrically different from the way in which the qualitative and theoretical methods are perceived, while it is positioned relatively close to the experimental methods.