Research and evaluation design

Research and evaluation design can be characterised as the logic that links an initial question or problem to the methods of data collection and analysis, and thus also the conclusions drawn. This chapter will briefly introduce some concepts that are dealt with in more detail throughout this book, covering different ways of approaching research and evaluation design along the way: the importance of understanding the purpose of the research; the need for conceptual understanding of the subject of the research; formulating research questions (including the specific requirements of evaluations); the differing methodological approaches employed by qualitative and quantitative researchers (and when to combine them); and the importance of validity. The chapter will conclude with a discussion of other key factors involved in successful research design, such as resource constraints (that is budget and time management issues), supervision and the needs of the audience for the final research findings. By the end of this chapter readers should be able to: • understand the notion of hypotheses derived from a conceptual understanding of the subject at hand • be able to develop appropriate research questions • understand the importance of validity • understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research design • be able to design research within constraint