What are the Methods of Evaluation in Education?

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What are the Methods of Evaluation in Education?

According to Mary Thorpe,

“Evaluation is the collection, analysis and interpretation of information about any aspect of a programme of education, as part of a recognised process of judging its effectiveness, its efficiency and any other outcomes it may have.”

Assessment refers to the process of collecting information that reflects the performance of a student, school, classroom, or an academic system based on a set of standards, learning criteria, or curricula.

Beeby opines,

“Evaluation is the systematic collection and inter- pretation of evidence leading as a part of process to a judgement of value with a view to action.”

Diagnostic evaluation is a type of pre-assessment which allows teachers to assess the strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills of the learners before starting the teaching learning process. Prognostic evaluation refers to the assessment that includes the prediction of a learner’s future career through the means of estimation.

Methods of Evaluation in Education 

1. Diagnostic vs Prognostic Evaluation

Diagnostic Evaluation	Prognostic Evaluation
1. It is a type of pre-evaluation.	It is a type of the learner’s estimation.
2. It enables the teacher to assess the learner’s performance.	It enables the teacher to predict the learner’s future performance.
3. It is concerned with the past and present performance of the student.	It is concerned with the future performance of the learner.
4. It allows the teacher to assess their instructional methods.	It allows the teacher to shape their instructional methods for the future.
5. Through this evaluation, teachers can understand the effectiveness of their teaching.	Through this evaluation, teachers can develop their future teaching strategies.

Formative vs Summative Evaluation 

Formative Evaluation	Summative Evaluation
It is an ongoing activity.	It is a one-time activity.
It takes place not just once but several times during the learning process.	It takes place at the end of the learning process and not during it.
The main aim is to monitor and evaluate the progress of the learner.	The main aim is to evaluate the achievements of the learners.
It monitors learning to offer ongoing feedback that can improve teaching and learning.	It evaluates learning at the end of an academic session to compare the learner’s score against a standard.
It assesses smaller content areas.	It assesses the understanding of complete chapters or bigger content areas.

Fenton (1996) states,

“Evaluation is the application of a standard and a decision-making system to assessment data to produce judgments about the amount and adequacy of the learning that has taken place.”

Evaluation is a process which is continuous as well as comprehensive and involves all the tasks of education and not merely tests, measurements, and examination. Evaluation is a quantitative measurement of instructional outcomes. It makes a quantitative determination of an individual’s performance.