Truths are not relative. What are relative are opinions about truth. Nicolás Gómez Dávila, 2001 

This quote came up in my ASU class, Introduction to Education and Evaluation in Education, where we are discussing the difference between research and evaluation. We are looking at the paradigms with which we approach research and the “assumptions we make when we

construct knowledge” (Mertens, D. M., 2020, p. 10. Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods). In the context of my program, Educating Multilingual Learners, I’m looking for tips on finding research that supports my goal of helping students gain academic English proficiency while keeping pace for high school graduation. Can anyone give me advice? I’ve started with some thoughts on the similarities and differences between research and evaluation.

 Research is a focused, systematic search for evidence-based information to establish general knowledge that can be applied in various settings. Evaluation, on the other hand, is a more purpose-driven search for the knowledge or action needed to fix a defined problem in a specific setting (p. 3). Both research and evaluation inquiries begin with a question and follow set methodologies. They involve government policies and industry standards, but in contrast to research, evaluation, sees politics as an integral element of research (p. 49).  Research focuses on subjects, while evaluation, particularly program evaluation,  concerns communities, or the groups of subjects who will be affected by the outcome of the decisions based on the evaluation. Evaluation in education is generally conducted to learn the effect of programs on historically underserved communities (p. 46). In this sense, evaluation extends research beyond its findings to promote social transformation. Thanks in advance for any tips you can share to guide my work in this class!