Las reformas de Carlos III

The pilot study was launched in September of 2017. It explored the relevance of the open-ended questions to be used in the initial round of the actual Delphi method. The pilot study sought to gain feedback from counselor educators on the two forms that will be used in Round 1 of the main study, enacting the Delphi method. The forms included a one-page synopsis providing directions and the context for the study (see Appendix A), as well as the Delphi questionnaire (see Appendix B), including brief demographic

questions (see Appendix C). Skulmoski et al. (2007) discussed the important role of pilot studies in Delphi research because it helps reveal problems in the survey instrument and improve the comprehension of the survey. The results from the pilot study will be used to further refine the Delphi questionnaire, instruction page, and ensure comprehensibility. Sampling Procedures

The pilot study was used to gain feedback on the Delphi questionnaire and instruction page to be used in the first round of the main Delphi study. The individuals were chosen based on a culturally diverse representative sample of individuals that fit the inclusion criterion for the expert panel. A recruitment e-mail (see Appendix D) including the one-page introduction, and the Delphi questionnaire was sent out. The counselor educators were asked to provide specific feedback evaluating the two forms. Feedback was requested specifically regarding the clarity and comprehensibility of the forms and questions, as well as suggestions or edits for either form.

The pilot study consisted of gaining feedback on the Delphi questionnaire and the instruction page from six counselor educators who met the inclusion criteria to be

considered as “experts” in the field of trauma. All participants had earned doctoral degrees in counselor education and were counselor educators with expertise in trauma. Additional demographic information can be found in Table 1.

Table 1

Pilot Study Demographic Data (N=6)

Characteristics Value Percentage

Gender Male Female 3 3 50.00% 50.00% Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69+ 2 2 1 1 33.33% 33.33% 16.66% 16.66% Ethnicity Pacific Islander Caucasian Multiracial 1 4 1 16.66% 66.66% 16.66% Work Role Professional Counselor Counselor Educator Supervisor 6 6 6 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% Personal Counseling Track

Clinical Mental Health School Counseling

Couples and Family Counseling

4 1 1 66.66% 16.66% 16.66% Procedures

A request to complete the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The pilot study was deemed as a low risk to participants and therefore received exempt status from the Institutional Review Board. A recruitment e-mail was sent out and included a request for participation and feedback, a description of the pilot study, an instruction page providing the protocol and

context for the study, and the Delphi questionnaire. If the individual wished to participate, they were asked to provide their feedback on the two forms. Participants were asked to review the overall research question to analyze its congruence within the topic area as well as the appropriateness and clarity of the open-ended questions on the Delphi questionnaire, and contextual information provided on the instruction page. They were asked to critique the forms and provide feedback regarding clarity and comprehension, and then forward their responses and/or suggestions back to the researcher via e-mail. Six counselor educators, considered experts in the field of trauma, provided their judgments, suggestions, and editorial comments on the Delphi-questionnaire and instruction page. Table 2 illustrates the definition of terms the participants were provided.

Table 2

Category Definitions

Term Definition

Educator Teaching Practices

Any theory, method, and/or pedagogical approach (e.g., any instructional method, activity, case study, framework, lecture style, setup, teaching strategy), that you employ in the classroom to prepare counselor-in-training in the area of trauma.

Trauma-related competency

The minimal knowledge, skills, and attitudes an entry-level

counselor (i.e., a novice entry-level counselor-in-training) working with trauma-exposed populations ought to possess. working with trauma-exposed populations ought to possess.

Student Knowledge

Trauma specific content (e.g., concepts, theories, facts, foundational information, and theoretical or practical understanding) acquired through education.

Student Skills Ability, facility, or specific learned activity that is developed through training to be able to perform a task; the observable

application of theory and knowledge that a student can demonstrate. Student Attitudes A view or perspective; the way a person views or behaves toward

something; a predisposition or tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation.

Data Analysis and Results

As Powell (2003) discussed, the open-ended questions must be carefully

considered and directly focus on the research problem. The six participants were asked to review the Delphi-questionnaire, suggest amendments, and provide any comments they have regarding the forms. Specifically, the participants were asked to provide feedback on the form’s clarity, the instruction page, the questions comprehensibility, understanding of how to respond to the questions, and any questions that they would change or add. The feedback from the participants was categorized and reviewed by the researcher and the dissertation chairs. All participants responded that the questions were clear. From the feedback received, instructions on the introduction form were clarified and enumerated. As for comprehensibility of the questions, three participants commented that examples under the definition of teaching practices were important to either include or leave broadly open, so examples were added under teaching practices to elaborate on what practical teaching activities and practices may include. All participants felt the questions were clear and understandable. One participant advised that an example response under each question to guide the respondent may be helpful. They suggested providing an answer from a different area of counseling so that the answer wouldn’t be leading. Counter to this opinion, two participants advised just the opposite, that they felt an example would be detracting and that it was not necessary as it could be potentially leading. Also, a suggestion was made to add a word or phrase under the definition of ‘attitudes’ to speak to the development of certain dispositions or propensities so this definition was expounded upon.

Discussion

Data and suggestions collected from this focus group, from the dissertation committee, and the dissertation proposal will be integrated into the structure of the study and discussed in the modifications section. The feedback from the critique of the forms in the pilot study was very helpful and aided in clarifying definitions, streamlining the instruction page, and adding in specific words for greater clarity and comprehension. Some limitations of the pilot study included researcher bias in that the researcher knew and selected each of the participants which could’ve unduly influenced the study. The pilot feedback was reviewed by another colleague, thereby limiting the influence of researcher bias. Another limitation may be the size of the pilot and geographic location of the participants. 6 out of 10 participants who were recruited responded and all six of the pilot study participants lived in the southeast, so different geographic regions were not represented.

Delphi Questionnaire Development

The Delphi method permits researchers to utilize previous research and theory to formulate the questionnaires (Linstone & Turoff, 2002; Powell, 2003). There has been a burgeoning interest in competency-based education in professional counseling and psychology (Kaslow, 2004), and in the trauma-informed movement (Harris & Fallot, 2001). The researcher focused on the identification and delineation of foundational and core categories emerging from the research literature to inform the open-ended questions. The key components of the questions for the Delphi questionnaire were structured around the competency model (i.e., the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for trauma

education), and also, influenced by the trauma-informed approach (i.e., the category of necessary pedagogical practices unique to trauma education; Harris & Fallot, 2001; SAMHSA, 2014). Attention was paid to context (i.e., higher education, ethical principles, standards, guidelines, and values of the profession) and developmentally informed and innovative approaches to training and thus the question related to teaching practices was included (Black, 2008; Harris & Fallot, 2002; Rogers, 1959, SAMHSA, 2014).The Delphi questionnaire design was informed by the research literature, data collected from the pilot study regarding feedback the questionnaire itself, as well as the

recommendations of the dissertation committee. Modifications

Based on the pilot study, the proposal seminar, and consultation with the

dissertation committee members, several modifications will be applied to this study and integrated into its structure. First, given the demographics of trauma-exposed

populations, and diverse student populations, a diverse sample of counselor educators will be purposefully sampled to incorporate a culturally responsive research framework and represent a variety of cultures, perspectives, and trauma work with a variety of populations in different settings. Given the demographics of trauma-exposed populations, the researcher will ask how the teachers address diversity in their classrooms. The open- ended survey questions were amended from asking five questions to asking eleven questions to produce even more open-ended questions and to allow additional categories to emerge. Demographic questions were added to explicitly address culture, diversity, trauma specializations, and the course names educators infused trauma education in.

Researcher positionality was further expounded upon in the methods section, and the term ‘foundational’ replaced the term ‘critical.’ A culturally responsive research

framework (Hood et al., 2005) was infused throughout Chapters I-III, making clearer the links between theory and execution of the study.

Phase 2: Main Study