Manoeuvring through the maze of methodology: Constructing the research-ready embodied RHD student

Teaching research methodologies is both a joy and a challenge. Big words such as epistemology, ontology, axiology and methodology can paralyse the novice researcher who just wants to do the project, run some num­bers and see their findings change the world. Introducing students to the conceptual and abstract nature of qualitative methodologies broadens the intellectual landscape for both novice and experienced researchers to think differently and become intimately part of their research project. Some of these students are manoeuvring new pathways and epistemological under­standings, while others are manoeuvring the maze of methodological choice previously unknown. The purpose of the chapter is twofold: firstly to interrogate my own practice as both a supervisor of Research Higher Degree (RHD) students and as a teacher of RHD students who are supervised by other academics. The second purpose of this chapter is to examine the course as preparation of students in building research capacity. To do this I will present an overview of RHD student preparation, namely the institutional requirements, policy,procedures and the methodology course that some students are required to take as part of their research journey. Using an auto-ethnographic approach, I reflect on my own prac­tice and epistemology as a researcher and course coordinator as I manoeuvre the methodological maze along with students. I critically appraise the role of the course in developing research capacity and the construction of the "research-ready embodied RHD student" at CQUniversity (CQU). Finally, I examine the intersection of supervision, personal growth as a supervisor and course coordinator and student preparation, through what I have learned from RHD students as they manoeuvre abstract concepts such as epistemology, ontology and methodology.