Research and evaluation are essential tools for researchers and educators to gain insight into new areas and assess the effectiveness and efficiency of a specific program or method. Although they have many similarities and can sometimes overlap, there are several differences in their form, purpose, and content, which experts utilize to achieve various objectives.
Key Takeaways
- Research is a systematic, logical, and rational activity carried out by scientists and experts to gain knowledge and insight in various fields, while evaluation is a procedure aimed at improving the performance or efficiency of individuals, groups, programs, policies, and governments.
- Evaluation is done to judge or assess performance, providing helpful information for decision-makers to implement changes, whereas research is mostly undertaken to prove something or expand human knowledge.
- Research is often performed to generalize findings from small samples to larger populations, while evaluation is typically conducted in specific situations and circumstances, with its findings applicable only to that particular context.
