Abstract

Researchers in doctoral programs are expected to make ‘a substantial original contribution to

knowledge’ (Australian Qualifications Framework Implementation Handbook, 2002, p. 57)

and must therefore address various types of questions about ‘knowledge’ and its production.

These can include ontological questions (what is the nature of the knowable?),

epistemological questions (what is the relationship between the knower and the knowable?),

and methodological questions (how should the inquirer seek knowledge?). Because

researchers usually produce knowledge within a particular epistemology, methodological and

epistemological questions are closely interrelated. In this presentation I will explore some

alternative approaches to generating and framing epistemological and methodological