Paper Discussion presented at AEA2009 This paper argues that in educational research and evaluation, often what we assume to be causal questions are actually by nature contextual. Understanding the context of our inquiries is the foundation for rigorous and valid observations. Understanding the true nature of the learner in the teaching and learning process is essential to any evaluation of educational programs.#Prek-12EducationalEvaluation #Evaluation2009 #EvaluationUse #QuantitativeMethods-TheoryandDesign #2009Conference