This online guide helps teachers to distinguish between different types of evidence, ordering them from weak evidence to strong evidence, and providing examples of these. It may be particularly useful to teachers wishing to explore evidence-based practice.
Understanding types of evidence: a guide for educators
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Synopsis
This guide from Mathematica Policy Research’s ‘Center for Improving Research Evidence’ describes four key types of evidence: anecdotal, descriptive, correlational, and causal. Its aim is to help teachers understand and analyse the different types of evidence available to them.
The guide explains how to tell which types of evidence support claims about effectiveness, ordering them from the weakest type of evidence (anecdotal) when to strongest (causal). It provides examples of common sources for each type of evidence, such as marketing materials, literature, and independent evaluations.
It particularly focuses on how to use evidence to make effective decisions: for example, how to use evidence to make the best possible use of a school technology budget.