ABSTRACT
Evaluation and research do not equal surveys, questionnaires and statistical and mathematical computation. These are merely tools, and often tools that are over-used and quite often badly used. This chapter has used the simple everyday-type evaluation they might do of their tea or coffee mug as a microcosmic example of the full evaluation research process. It has also shown the simple process of inquiry that characterizes the kind of evaluation that is most effective in drawing out an understanding of what is problematic, with a view to developing or improving a situation, service or practice. Finally, the chapter has tried to show that evaluation is a process that happens naturally on a very tiny scale throughout everyday life.
