This seminar will focus on using theory in research. PhD students and early career researchers are exhorted to find their theoretical paradigm, world view, or theoretical framework to underpin their research. And, to complicate matters, only rarely will only one theory do all the necessary work in a research undertaking. The seminar will explore how to use theory in research, including defining one’s paradigm, selecting complementary theories, and aligning research methods with one’s theoretical framework.

The seminar will be led by Leesa Wheelahan, who will use the example of the philosophy critical realism to demonstrate how this ‘under-labours’ all her research and guides the selection of complementary modes of theorising.

Suggested reading:
Wheelahan, Leesa (2023). Realism and theorizing curriculum—the role of knowledge. In R. J. Tierney, F. Rizvi, & K. Ercikan (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Education (Fourth Edition) (pp. 85-95). Elsevier. doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818630-5.03012-8

Leesa is a SKOPE Honorary Research Fellow. She edited the Journal of Vocational Education and Training and is a member of its editorial management committee. She is a member of a number of editorial boards, and reviews for numerous journals. She has published over 80 books, monographs, journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries as well as hundreds of newspaper and practitioner articles, technical papers, government submissions, and other major publications.