John Lavelle’s diagrammatic representation of the difference between Evaluation and Social Research. What’s missing, I would suggest, is USE. Evaluation is driven by an intention to use research results immediately. Research is concerned with generating a body of knowledge but is not necessarily preoccupied to the degree evaluation is with Use issues. That is not to say that Use doesn’t matter to social researchers – but Use is not usually a primary objective for Research to the extent that it is for Evaluation. At times it may even be an incidental consideration.
Does that not make Evaluation an applied social research practice? And where would you put USE on the hourglass?
No Comments »
Leave a comment