Today marks 1 week since I started a (potentially) 208 week journey towards an EdD. The first weekend was full of some incredibly testing, challenging and stimulating content and I came away form it feeling incredibly enthused. Something that was suggested by one of my tutors was to keep a research journal to provide us with a space to verbalise current thinking and track the changes to our thinking and experiences along the way. I like the idea and see huge personal value but I think there might also be some value to be taken for other people who are thinking of doing an EdD but might want to know more about what it’s like from the inside.
Essentially, my headline here is: If I can have a go, then you definitely can! At the end of the weekend, I came away utterly convinced that I was the least clever person in the room… but I don’t think that matters. In fact, if I am the least clever person, so long as I am capable of the level of thought required to access the course, being around 9 other people who are cleverer than me would actually work to my advantage!
Essentially, my headline here is: If I can have a go, then you definitely can!
Over the last week, I have read 9 research papers with an eye on trying to better understand some of the key questions around methodology and research design. I’m going to summarise my thoughts and understanding here and will then keep blogging about the process as often as I can manage. Huge thanks to Dr. Neil Gilbride for lending a critical ear to my reflections and thinking and pushing me to go beyond my current understanding.
So, here are the key takeaways so far:
1. Your theoretical position is really critical
This is something that Dr. Neil was crystal clear on. The way I currently understand this idea is that I will need to be really clear on which domain or discipline I am calling upon when I get to my research. For example, am I coming from a psychological angle or a sociological one. This is important because it will shape how I view the theories that I then call upon in my research.
But, it’s more than that. I am going to need to consider the other theoretical positions and really understand the current thinking within that so that when I am asked to defend my thesis, I am clear on why one particular theoretical standpoint resonates with me and why others do not, rooted in my own understanding and inherent philosophical beliefs.
2. Epistemology
Epistemology is essentially, ‘what is knowledge?’ An understanding of my epistemological position will shape the research methodology I deploy and will also help me have a better understanding of the purpose of my research. For example, subjectivism – positivism (recognises as knowledge only that which can be established as true through scientific verification) or interpretivism (recognises knowledge as being the product of an event’s interaction with the cultural context it exists within).
3. Ontology
Ontology is ‘what is reality’. An understanding of what my ontological position is important because it will also shape the research methodologies I deploy. For example, objectivism says that there is a reliable observable truth in the world that can be understood without context or bias application. By contrast, Constructivism holds that people interpret understanding and construct meaning from the facts and events that occur in reality.
4. Axiology
Axiology concerns what is valued within a piece of research. For example, pluralists believe that there are multiple sources of value that exist independently and contribute to the overall value of the world.
Understanding the merits of each position will allow me to evaluate the best position for me to assume in order to meet the needs of my research in way that is aligned with my own way of seeing the world. Epistemology and Ontology and axiology can also help me to interpret existing research by understanding their methodological starting points.
Final takeaway
You don’t need to know that stuff now – you can find it out along the journey and then you know why you are rejecting some positions and going with others. This is something that Dr. Neil set me straight on. I don’t need to make my mind up about my theoretical or methodological stand points right now. I can use the next two years to experiment with and feel different approaches before then fully understanding why I am choosing one over the other. I can already see how useful this is going to be for when I actually come to defend my thesis and have to explain why I have chosen one position over another.
It is certainly going to be an interesting and exciting journey and with my first assignment due in less than 10 days, I’ll soon find out where I need to improve my understanding first. What I am certainly feeling, in comparison to my previous Masters level study is that Doctorate study feels more all-consuming, at least for me! I am finding myself self-testing on the definitions of the concepts and ideas I have learned about and trying to look for opportunities to try to spot the theoretical and methodological positions of the authors of the research papers I am reading. I am really hoping that this mindset shift will be an advantage as I move through the journey.
Comments