What is the DIY Evaluation Guide?

The DIY Evaluation Guide is an accessible resource for teachers which introduces the key principles of educational evaluation and provides guidance on how to conduct small-scale evaluations in schools.

The guide explains the importance of “Do It Yourself” evaluation. It outlines a range of options open to teachers who want to improve the way they evaluate new interventions or strategies and provides practical advice on designing and carrying out evaluations.

Why is DIY Evaluation Useful?

DIY evaluation is useful for three reasons:

• It indicates whether or not an intervention is effective. Without evaluation, it is impossible to know whether an intervention is having a positive impact on learning. It can be tempting to implement plausible-sounding strategies which, in reality, don’t benefit students
• Evaluation saves teachers time. It is often easier to start doing something new than it is to stop doing something which has been running for a number of years. The evaluation strategies in this guide show how data can be used to obtain an estimate of the impact of a particular intervention. Teachers can then put their time and effort into the most effective things and avoid pursuing approaches that do not work
• Evaluation guides future action. By investing a little time in carefully recording what is being done and by measuring its outcome, it is easy to identify improvements for the future.