Delphi in Education: Review and Assessment

Abstract

The Delphi technique provides a means for obtaining systematic judgments about future policies or events. Exploratory Delphi studies have sought to develop accurate pictures of the future as it will inevitably be. Normative Delphi studies have sought to establish the shape of the future which is desired, to provide a basis for policy manipulation. This paper reviews applications of the Delphi methodology to educational issues and provides an evaluation of present trends in its development. The results of methodological studies of the technique are also considered within this general context. “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” A. Einstein.