Onto-epistemology

My first suggestion is to get a basic understanding of both ontology & epistemology as they relate to social research. Most 'introduction to doctoral studies' classes discuss these topics. If you're in the EDL at Miami, then I think the course is EDL760. That's a good place to start. From there, I would check out "Philosophy of Social Science." If you're in the EDL, you may read this in EDL775. This breaks down different ontological perspectives, but it can be a little stiff at times. Another helpful book is Creswell's Qualitative Inquiry and research Design, which is, in my opinion, more accessible but less robust.


Another thing I would do, once you feel like you have a solid understanding of the concepts, is to read studies that are you interested in and try to determine what the onto-epistemological orientations are in those studies. Many times, the authors state it directly. In other instances, you have have to discern the orientation from keywords and the language of the discourse used in presenting the study/critique/etc...

For me, I started out thinking I wanted to do a type of phenomenological study. However, I began to realize that my orientation to the concept of identity, from an ontological perspective, wasn't really conducive to that study. I was focusing on language, on discourse - conducting a critical discourse analysis of students' discussions of Welshness. As the subject of my study moved from students' representations of Welshness to an analysis of a curricular document, my ontological orientation became clearer. In social research, the word "critical" often refers to "Critical Theory" and the work of the members of "The Frankfurt School." Habermas generally defined this work as concerned with human emancipation. Discourse Analysis is simply the study of language and practices used to represent things in the world. So, a critical discourse analysis is a type of research method that studies discourse in order to determine how ideology in language and practices work in representing elements of life as commonsensical and natural. Those working with CDA believe that the ideological nature of discourse assists in the manufacturing consent. Thus, discourse can be used to mystify reality. This position is well-suited for a "critical realists" perspective, which is an ontological position that suggests there is a "reality," but that that reality is somehow occluded or veiled by power relations existing with individuals and institutions in society.

So, although I don't believe people always inhabit the same ontological perspective, or that each perspective is a delineated theoretical space, it is important to come to terms with how each particular ontological discourse aligns with whatever you're studying or reading at the time. As you do this, you may discover which ontological paradigm you feel most comfortable with and assists you in investigating your particular interests in research.