Reflection: Possible Challenges in Selecting a Sample

As I think about selecting participants for my Delphi study, I anticipate that I will encounter several challenges that may hinder my ability to secure an appropriate sample size that is heterogenous. One concern revolves around the difficulty in securing a sufficient response rate from the professionals I've identified as potential participants. Assuming they have busy schedules and commitments inherent to their roles, asking these participant to reserve time for my research may be more difficult than asking students. This could make it difficult to have a sufficient number of participants involved.

Considering this challenge, I am inclined to use a more pragmatic and adaptable approach. I believe that refining my sample size to a more manageable range, perhaps comprising 8-14 participants would be address this challenge. I also plan to make a list of about 40 possible participants. This will provide me with more options in the case of a low response rate and offset the potential of participants being unable to commit for the entire Delphi study.