Experts Consensus on the Items of Sender in Communication of Malaysian Polygamous Muslim Couples Using the Delphi Fuzzy Method

Abstract

A sender plays an important role in family communication especially among polygamous couples. An ineffective sender who conveys a message may cause misunderstanding, confusion and disappointment. This matter if left to persist may bring worse problems such as divorce, fights and abuses. Therefore, this article presents the consensus of experts on items categorized as sender element in the psychology of communication for co-wives in polygamous marriage in managing marital or household conflict according to the Islamic perspective. This is an important fact to produce the reliable and creative exploration of ideas of suitable information for decision making especially to polygamous Muslim couples in Malaysia in order to create better life in their family. From past highlights, 25 items have been identified as sender element. This research uses 7 point Likert scale to determine the suitability of items based on the consensus of experts. The items are evaluated by 10 experts. Data collected is analyzed using Fuzzy Delphi methodology. Research result based on consensus of experts finds that out of 25 items, one is rejected because it does not fulfill requirements. It is rejected because the threshold value exceeds 0.2 and expert percentage is less than 75%. The remaining 24 items show consensus of experts on the sender element in this model. This research finding is beneficial as reference for families in order to manage marital conflict in polygamous marriages.