I am a student working with educational research and evaluation. I am wondering how research paradigms are used in evaluation. It is my understanding that these fields are related but differ by their purposes. In very simple terms, research is to answer research questions and to further develop and inform the field whereas evaluation is to inform decision making.
So, are research paradigms addressed in professional evaluation? I have taken a course previously which covered evaluation in education and there was no mention of these paradigms (to my recollection). It would seem there is a place for research paradigms during the planning of the evaluation, the development of methods, and the collection of data. Is this ever addressed in professional or formal evaluation?
Dear Zach Manley , research paradigms do matter. I think you will certainly enjoy the works of John Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches 4th Edition, by John W. Creswel. KR Rob
Dear Zach Manley. Rob Christiaanse is right. Research Paradigms do matter. In my opinion the most useful text on this topic is by sociologist Derek Layder. His master work on this topic is the brilliant "Sociological practice: Linking theory and social research" 1998. Sage.
Layder shows how orienting concepts are in a dialectic relationship with data collection and the attribution of meaning. Exceptionally useful.
Zach Manley, the go-to reference on research paradigms in evaluation (and what to make of them) is Michael Quinn Patton's "Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods: Integrating Theory and Practice" (2015), now in its 4th edition courtesy of Sage.
Book Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank
