ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the commonalities and differences between assessment and research, looking at the context and purpose of each and describing their processes. Distinguishing whether a given project is research or assessment can assist in selecting an appropriate study design, identifying if and how results should be shared, contextualizing it for various audiences, and determining whether it needs review from a research ethics committee. Research is intended to contribute generalizable knowledge to a field of study. Assessment’s purpose is to evaluate services, spaces, or resources in order to continuously improve them. Assessment-oriented action research aims to fulfill both of these goals. A given project may be assessment, or it may be research, or it may be both at the same time (action research). This chapter will also consider various research designs and methods used for assessment and research, and will look at how to choose an appropriate research design and method for a specific project. Things to consider when choosing a design include the type of data available, the ease of gathering that data, amount of time, how the results should look, and what types of results would be most meaningful and/or actionable.
