Research on Evaluation: A Needs Assessment

This survey study attempts to understand the research questions that evaluators were most interested in answering. The findings suggested that there is a great deal of interest in research efforts that (a) explore factors that increase the impact of evaluation, (b) help develop new methodologies, (c) examine the influence of context on evaluations, and (d) help to address ethical dilemmas. Respondents also provided research questions for each topic, revealing a diverse body of concerns and issues. The study also indicated that research on evaluation is viewed as an important endeavour with strong support from the community.