[NLA] Evaluation vs. research

[M C Smith]

Several recent comments suggest some confusion between the activities and 
purposes of educational evaluation and educational research. This confusion 
is understandable, since there is considerable overlap between the two 
activities. Unfortunately, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. 
Yet, evaluation and research _do_ differ from one another and have 
different purposes. Evaluations are usually initiated because there is some 
perceived need for a decision to be made in regards to educational policy 
or management. Thus, the purpose is to collect various data that will 
faciliate decision-making (perhaps at the level of policy, perhaps at the 
level of local program management). Another difference is the extent which 
the findings are generalized to other populations and settings. Evaluation 
is usually done to meet a very specific purpose for a given program. There 
is usually not much concern for generalizing to other programs or settings 
(there are exceptions, of course), in contrast to research. Evaluations 
yield data in regards to the worth or value of some phenomenon (e.g., 
typically, an educational program or intervention). Conclusions tend to 
reflect local, programmatic, or even the evaluators' values (but 
evaluations can be much broader in sweep, such as the national evaluation 
of Even Start programs in the mid-1990s). Researchers'  conclusions, in 
contrast, are usually more tentative.

It is interesting to note, also, that evaluation is usually taught in 
courses separate from educational research courses in most graduate programs.

Cecil Smith

M Cecil Smith, Ph.D.
Professor of Educational Psychology
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
(815) 753-8448
(815) 753-8750 (fax)
mcsmith at niu.edu
www.cedu.niu.edu/

_______________________________________________
NLA mailing list: NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org