Research vs Evaluation
Research and evaluation are important tools in the hands of researchers and educators to gain insight into new domains and to assess the efficacy and efficiency of a specific program or methodology. There are many similarities and overlapping between research and evaluation, to suggest they are almost interchangeable. However, there are many differences also in their form, purpose, and content that is made use of by experts to achieve different goals. Let us take a closer look.
Research
Research is a systematic, logical, and rational activity that is undertaken by scientists and experts in humanities to gain knowledge and insight in various fields of studies. This body of knowledge is later used to develop applications and tools that make our life better and richer.
Research can be undertaken to prove hypothesis, theorems, works of earlier experts, or it can be undertaken to establish new theories and facts. Whether basic or applied, research is always helpful in expanding human knowledge. It is not that research can be done only in science subjects. On the contrary, much of the research and development work in the world is today being carried out in humanities and behavioral sciences to enrich and better human lives. The basic purpose behind all research is to expand human knowledge.
Evaluation
Evaluation is the procedure that aims at improving the performance or efficiency of individuals, groups, programs, policies and even governments around the world. Evaluation means a judgment or assessment. Any evaluation tool is so designed so as to answer questions pertaining to efficacy and efficiency of a system or an individual. It is only through unbiased evaluation that we come to know if a program is effective or ineffective.
Evaluation as a tool serves the purpose of knowing about how well a person or program is doing and what needs to be done to improve efficacy and efficiency. Evaluation of a program or policy can help the management to come up with solutions to the problems so that the performance levels can be improved.
What is the difference between Research and Evaluation?
• Evaluation is done to judge or assess the performance of a person, machine, program or a policy while research is done to gain knowledge in a particular field
• Evaluation makes judgment and assessment that is helpful for decision makers so that they can implement changes to improve efficacy and efficiency
• Research and evaluation both enhance our knowledge, but evaluation leads to changes that cause improvement whereas research is mostly undertaken to prove something
• Research is undertaken to generalize the findings from a small sample to a large section of the population. On the other hand, evaluation is done in particular situations and circumstances, and its findings are applicable for that situation only.
Thanks for this blog post! As a teacher, and a masters student, it was very helpful to see the difference between the two – especially when those words are often used interchangeably in my profession.
You point out: “evaluation leads to changes that cause improvement whereas research is mostly undertaken to prove something.”
I do have to ask, while research does not have the aim to improve a program (like evaluation does), can it not be used to do such?
Thanks again!
Great post! I am a teacher and a grad student, also, so reading this and getting your perspective on what research and evaluation are helped me better understand it. You mentioned that “Evaluation is done to judge or assess the performance of a person, machine, program or a policy while research is done to gain knowledge in a particular field”, I liked that! When explaining what research and evaluation are, I basically said the same thing before reading your blog post and it gives me a confidence boost that I do have the right idea about the difference between the two. Thanks!
This is a great post that analyzes and summarizes the differences between research and evaluation. It is a great tool when trying to differentiate the two terms. You stated that, “there are many similarities and overlapping between research and evaluation, to suggest they are almost interchangeable” and although they overlap, you were able to simply define the differences between the two. Thank you!
This is a great post about the differences between these two terms. As you stated, “there are many similarities and overlapping between research and evaluation, to suggest they are almost interchangeable,” and even then you were able to define and find the difference between the two. “Research and evaluation both enhance our knowledge, but evaluation leads to changes that cause improvement whereas research is mostly undertaken to prove something.” I believe this statement you made was a great way to summarize the difference but at the same time how both together can increase our understanding. Thank you for sharing!
well explained and great comments
Thanks for this straight forward explanation of research vs. evaluation definitions. As a graduate student in a Literacy education program, I am now learning this information and it can be confusing. Your information really clarified the distinct differences while pointing out that both increase knowledge but evaluation moves to make change and research to prove something. Thanks for the info!
Hi. I really enjoyed your post. I am getting my master’s degree in Literacy Education and I am wondering if you think evaluating the strategies in place to teach children reading and writing will help make it easier for them to understand and what research strategies do you suggest to further our understanding of literacy?
Hello! Thank you for your post about the similarities and differences between research and evaluation. As a grad student and an instructional designer, I am interested in getting a better understanding of these important tools. Reading your post, I paid the most attention to the differences between research and evaluation. I noticed that one of the main differences you highlighted was that evaluation leads to improving something and the research, on the contrary, leads to proving something. So these two tools focus on different things. But at the same time, when you were describing the research earlier, you mentioned a couple of times that the research is implemented “to make our life better and richer” and “to enrich our lives.” So, if to think about this, wouldn`t both research and evaluation have the same focus to improve rather than prove something, and can it be considered more like similarity than difference?
Thank you!