Prioritizing Research in Multilingualism and Language Education via the Delphi Method

• In Event: The Delphi Method in Education Research: A Tool for Public Scholarship in Diverse Democracies

Abstract

Objectives and Perspectives: In today’s globally connected societies the ability to communicate in several languages is increasingly important for personal development, professional and democratic participation. In Germany, both the individual facilitation of multilingual competences and the establishment of favourable conditions for multilingualism have been identified as important tasks for educational practice and research (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2012). Educational personnel need to be equipped with methods and materials that have been empirically tested and evaluated for their effectiveness in the multilingual classroom. Yet gaps persist in relation to transfer from research to practice, and with respect to establishing actual research needs. This study set out to fill these gaps by means of a Delphi study that posed the following question to expert participants: Which research questions are most pressing and should be prioritised in the field of multilingualism and language education in Germany?

Methods and Data: In order to gather expert opinions on the question outlined above, the Delphi method was deployed as a means of approaching unresolved topics and in an attempt to reach consensus among experts on those topics where possible (Häder, 2002).
Our study is being conducted in two rounds. Experts were identified via a database compiled by the coordination office for research in multilingualism and language education in Germany. These experts were, in turn, asked to suggest further potential expert participants. Around 180 experts responded to the first round in which they were asked to openly formulate research questions that they considered most pressing under 12 different subtopics in the field of multilingualism and language education.
At time of writing, the first round has closed and responses are being categorised using MAXQDA computer software analysis. They will be summarised into specific research questions which will be presented to the invited experts in a closed format in the second round of this study. The experts will be asked to determine the degree of priority to which a respective research question should be examined according to scale. We expect results from the second round by the end of 2015.

Findings and Significance: Our findings will provide an overview of research questions considered by experts to be most pressing in the field of multilingualism and language education. The identification of such questions is significant in developing a research programme for the improvement of language education in a diverse democracy. This programme will have been established by the expert community itself through the systematic identification of research topics that bind the research community to the needs of educational practice. This Delphi study is thus a prime example of public scholarship for diverse democracies. Although representing the German perspective, the methods and findings are relevant to research contexts across the globe. The transfer of our results to other research contexts will be discussed as part of this international symposium.

Authors

• Antje Hansen, University of Hamburg

• Sarah McMonagle, Universität hamburg

• Ingrid Gogolin, Universität Hamburg