Research Evaluation
Within the broad field of education, Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2003), Mac-donald (1976) Mertens (2005), Norris (1990), Nunan (1992), Smith and Glass (1987), and Stenhouse (1975) among others have explored the relationship between research and evaluation. Nunan (1992) affirms that “any investigation which contains questions, data, and interpretations of the data qualifies as research”; in other words he stresses the view that evaluation is the application of research methods with the objective of validating a hypothesis or process. Gronlund (1981) states that “evaluation may be defined as a systematic process of determining the extent to which instructional objectives are achieved”. Rossi et al (2004) argue that evaluation can be defined as “a systematic, rigorous, and meticulous application of scientific methods to assess the design, implementation, improvement, or outcomes of a program”.
Evaluation is a systemic documentation and determination of a subject’s value, worth, significance, and performance according to a pre-defined set of standards. Evaluation processes are often used in a wide range of fields in everyday and academic life, including educational settings. Two factors are important in research evaluation design:
- To omit casual and uncontrolled observation
- To properly define research objectives
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References
MacDonald, B. (1976). Evaluation and the control of education. In D. Tawney (ed) Curriculum Evaluation Today: Trends and Implications. London: MacMillan
Matthews, A. (1991). “Choosing the best available textbook.” in Matthews, A. M spratt and L Dangerfield (ed.) (1991), At the Chalkface. London: Nelson, 202-6
Norris, N. (1990) Understanding Educational Evaluation. London: Kogan Page
Nunan, D. (1992), Research Methods in Language Learning. Cambridge. CUP
Rossi, P.H.; Lipsey, M.W., & Freeman, H.E. (2004). Evaluation: A systematic approach (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage. ISBN 978-0-7619-0894-4
Stenhouse, L. (1975) An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Books
Smith, M. and Glass, G. (1987) Research and Evaluation in Education and the Sodal Science, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Gronlund, N.E. (1981). Measurement and evaluation in teaching, New York, MacMillan Publishing
Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2003). Research Methods in Education. London, New York: Routledge, Falmer (5th Edition)
